Lost on the Road of Life
by shherie
Summary: [SasuNaruSasu] Nothing is ever simple when it comes to Naruto and Sasuke, no matter how much they might wish it was. Naruto had waited six months for Sasuke to come home, and when the jerk came back he brought his old Taka team-mates with him. All Naruto wants is for Sasuke to stay and heal, but Sasuke seems determined to keep hurting himself. [Canon-Continuation, No Chapter 700]
1. A Different Kind of Ending

**Chapter One: A Different Kind of Ending (Naruto's POV)**

 _In which Sasuke returns to Konoha with some very unwelcome guests in tow._

* * *

Naruto paced back and forth in front of Konoha's gates, throwing a fierce look every now and then at the shadowed forests beyond the walls. Sakura was watching him from where she sat beside the path, and he could see that the two guards behind the desk were watching him too, amused expressions on their faces.

"Naruto-kun," Sakura whined. "It's getting dark."

"You'll see," he said. "He's coming home today."

"Maybe he's just somewhere near here. Closer than he has been."

Naruto sighed. No, Sasuke's chakra, his aura, his _presence_ \- whatever you wanted to call it- was on the move, and getting stronger. He was _right_. Today was the day he was coming home.

"I'm just saying, don't get your hopes up," Sakura added.

It had been almost six months and Naruto hadn't heard a peep from the bastard. He knew he'd been in contact with Kakashi, and the official word on the street was still that Sasuke- fully exonerated, but not technically a Konoha shinobi at the moment- was away on a personal mission for the Hokage. Personal mission meant Kakashi didn't need to tell him what Sasuke was up to, as he had reminded him on several occasions. Naruto scowled.

 _Sasuke_ , he thought. _Why the hell did you stay away for so long?_

Naruto wondered, not for the first time, what he'd say to him when he got back. Maybe, _hey look, I'm a jounin now- I beat you!_ Or, _so much in Konoha has changed while you were gone. You won't even recognize it!_

"Oh, Pakkun," Sakura said, and Naruto turned and saw the leader of Kakashi's pack trotting down the path towards them. "Did you need me?"

The little pug came up to them and sat down in front of Naruto. Sakura came over to join them. He shook his head. "I'm here to greet Sasuke and his guests."

Naruto threw a triumphant look in Sakura's direction. "You see! He's definitely coming home today. Any minute."

Sakura just frowned at them both. "His guests? Who else is coming?"

"Probably his wife!" called Kotetsu from the guard's desk.

Pakkun didn't say, so Naruto turned away and resumed his pacing. The sun was going down and it was getting a little cooler; Naruto shivered. That tingling on his skin, that little part of his mind that had been permanently locked onto Sasuke's general location since the war, was getting stronger.

Evidently, Kakashi knew that Sasuke was coming home today. Naruto wasn't surprised that he hadn't said anything. Naruto often went to him with rumours he'd heard; Sasuke had been seen in Suna, Sasuke had been spending time with monks. Sasuke had married some minor lord's daughter (that one had been _hilarious_ ). So, the bastard had sent word he was coming back, and that he wasn't coming back alone. He felt himself tensing up. Sasuke hadn't _really_ gotten married or anything crazy like that, had he?

"Damn," Sakura muttered from behind him. "You were right."

Naruto whipped around to face the gates right in time to see Sasuke and two other figures land just beyond them. He grinned. "Yes! What did I say? I said it would be _today_ , that's what I said!"

He sauntered over to the gates with Sakura and Pakkun in tow; the two guards stood to attention, wary at Sasuke's return.

"Hey bastard! Took you bloody long enough, didn't it!" he yelled out.

Sasuke and the others emerged from the shadows and came towards them. He was dressed in simple travelling clothes, with no mark of Konoha anywhere. His hair had gotten much longer, and was falling over his face. _Oh_ , Naruto thought. _People won't like that. People who knew Itachi, anyway._

As they came closer, Naruto turned his attention to Sasuke's companions, instantly relieved that neither of them was a _girl_ , but he soon struck by an awful, foreboding sensation. He frowned. "Hey, don't we know those guys?" he said to Sakura.

One was a slight, silver-haired young man; the other, a hulking figure with bright orange hair.

"Oi, look, isn't it _Naruto_ ," the silver one said with a cheeky grin. "And that must be Sakura-chan," he added, leering at the pink-haired girl.

"Have we met them?" Sakura whispered to Naruto. Standing up straighter, she cleared her throat. "Sasuke-kun, _okaeri_ ," she called, nudging Naruto with her elbow and giving him a _look_.

"What?" Naruto muttered, not taking his eyes off the other two. He had suspicions about who they were, and he did not like it, not one little bit.

 _Sasuke. You wouldn't dare bring them here. Would you?_

Sasuke gave them the briefest of looks before seemingly ignoring them, and turning his attention to the two guards.

"Sasuke Uchiha," Izumo called. "Just who are you trying to bring into Konoha?"

"This is Suigetsu Hozoki," Sasuke said, "and this is Juugo."

The atmosphere changed instantly, becoming charged with tension as the two guards both pulled weapons and fell into battle stances. "Akatsuki?" they hissed, jumping into position around the trio.

 _You bastard,_ Naruto thought. _It's your old team, you shit!_

"Sasuke, what the hell?" Naruto yelled. "This is what you've been up to?!"

 _This is why you left me?_

"Call for back-up," one guard said to the other.

"Better make it Anbu, aren't they watching the gates anyway?" said the other.

Sasuke just rolled his eyes at the change, and continued to look bored.

Sakura looked shocked, and gripped Naruto's arm tightly, as if she was holding him back. Naruto opened his mouth to say something else.

"Ahem," said Pakkun, interrupting them all. "There's no need for that. Put the weapons away."

They all stared at the little dog incredulously. The pug remained sitting peacefully on his hind legs, seemingly unconcerned at the confrontation happening in front of him.

The guards, although slowly getting used to having nin-ken running around the village distributing official orders from the Hokage, were not at all inclined to just _put the weapons away_.

"Please," said Pakkun. "Hokage's orders. These two were expected. They're not a security concern."

Eventually, the guards did take a step back, frowning. Izumo began speaking into the radio around his neck.

"What's the deal?" Naruto asked the pug.

Pakkun cleared his throat, and walked closer to Sasuke and his companions. "Missing-nin-san," he began. "Welcome to Hidden Leaf. I'm sure things might seem a little unusual to you here but please be assured of our good intentions. If you would kindly follow Sasuke to the medical centre, we can treat any injuries you may have."

"Missing-nin?" Naruto repeated.

"Missing-nin- _san_?" added the guards.

"Injuries?" asked Sakura.

As if on cue, the silver-haired one pitched forward into a dead faint, and Sasuke moved to catch him before he hit the ground.

"Hey, is he okay?!" Sakura called, rushing forward in concern.

"Juugo," Sasuke said; the bigger one came over and Sasuke gingerly tried to place Suigetsu on his shoulders. Sakura moved to help him, picking at the cloak he wore and searching for injuries at the same time.

"What's wrong with him, Sasuke?" she asked.

"Blood loss," he answered, "and dehydration. Amongst other things."

"Are _you_ okay?" she added, running her eyes over him.

"Yeah," he replied, and Sakura frowned.

They got Suigetsu up onto Juugo's shoulders, whilst Naruto and the guards stood and watched in stunned silence. Former Akatsuki members being welcomed into Konoha? Just what was Kakashi thinking?

Naruto quickly glanced around him, probing at the buildings surrounding the gates. _Ah, there, at least two Anbu._ He relaxed slightly, but not very much.

"If you'll follow me to the medical centre," Pakkun interjected, "the Hokage will meet you there."

"I'm coming too," Sakura said, as Sasuke nudged Juugo and directed him to follow the pug.

"Of course," Pakkun said, and they all started walking.

Naruto stared at them as they went, gaping.

"Hey, Naruto," Izumo said to him. "Just what's your pet up to now? Is this really okay?"

Naruto shrugged, frowning, watching the three plus Sakura and Pakkun getting further away. As if he ever knew what Sasuke was up to, and whether it was _okay_. He did know this was not how he was expecting this to go.

 _Hey, Sasuke,_ he thought. _Are we ever going to talk about what happened in the hospital?_

He sighed, and rushed down the path to catch up with them.


	2. He's Home

**He's Home (Naruto's POV)**

 _Featuring Sasuke's new apartment, and a very angry Naruto._

* * *

Suigetsu had regained consciousness long enough to smirk at Sakura and the other medics examining him, flashing them all highly suggestive looks when he noticed his state of undress, before passing out again.

Naruto stayed back up against the wall as they all exclaimed at this and started rushing around again. Sakura had ordered him out of the room, but he hoped that by staying quiet, she'd forget he was there.

Over the next hour, Sakura and her team ran all kinds of tests, rushing in and out of the room, chatting excitedly. Evidently, the staff at the medical centre found this silver-haired fiend fascinating, tossing around phrases like "water instead of blood", and "regenerative potential". _And none of them seem concerned that he's a member of Akatsuki,_ Naruto thought to himself with a disapproval that only rose as more time passed. _And where is Kakashi-sensei? He's always late, even now when he's meant to be Hokage._

"He's really not that badly hurt," Sasuke murmured, not for the first time, from where he stood against the opposite wall, arms (well, _arm_ ) folded against his chest. "Just give him some water."

"How are we supposed to know?" Sakura shot back at him. "We don't have anything like this in Konoha!"

Sasuke, in the meantime, just kept an uninterested watch over the happenings in the room, wearing his usual, bored-with-all-this-shit expression on his face. He'd barely spoken since arriving at the hospital, and then only to comment on his two companion's injuries. He was completely ignoring Naruto.

Naruto growled under his breath. He was getting pissed off. It was getting late, Sasuke had yet to acknowledge his existence, apart from a few very brief and probably accidental glances, and everyone in the room was behaving as if two injured enemies were more important than Sasuke being home again! And how dare Sasuke just dismiss him, how dare he just waltz back in town with these two guys- his former _team members_ \- and just act like nothing out of the usual was happening?

"Hey, Sasuke-" he began.

"No," Sasuke said, interrupting him.

"But Sasuke-" Naruto said back, frowning.

"I said _no_." Sasuke glared, for just a brief moment, before turning his face away again.

And then before Naruto could speak again, they were interrupted by the arrival of the Hokage and a trio of new nin-ken. _Great, thanks, Sensei._

The medical staff paused momentarily.

"Sasuke," said Kakashi, patting his former student on the head. "Welcome home."

Sasuke frowned and shifted out from under him. "Mm," he replied, and Kakashi beamed at him.

"And who have you brought back with you? This must be Juugo," he said, looking at the hulking orange-head boy sitting on the adjoining bed. "You're not hurt?"

The one called Juugo, who had yet to speak a full sentence ( _oh great, another one of those_ ), shook his head, his expression unchanged; he soon shifted his gaze back to the other bed.

"This one is," Kakashi said.

"He should be okay," Sakura said, stepping away from the bed and whipping her forehead. "He's very dehydrated. That's a bigger deal for him than most," she added.

The Hokage nodded. "Anything new to report?" he said to Sasuke, and Sasuke shook his head.

Naruto fumed at that. _Anything new to report?_ As if the two of them had been in constant contact. As if the two of them were working together.

"Alright," Kakashi said. "These two are officially under Anbu supervision, so don't be surprised if you see them lurking around. They're not technically under arrest, though. Let me know when they can be officially released from hospital, Sakura- _sensei_ ," he said with a smile.

One of the nin-ken jumped up onto Juugo's bed, seemingly taking up residence. Juugo glanced at him, with the faintest hint of an expression in his eyes.

Naruto couldn't take it anymore.

"Oi sensei!" he butted in. "These guys are _Akatsuki_!"

" _Ex_ -Akatsuki," the Hokage replied cheerfully. "As is Sasuke-kun, you know, technically," he added, clamping his hand down on Sasuke's shoulder, and receiving a scowl and a glare in return.

"Officially they're missing-nin," explained Pakkun. "Until further notice."

Naruto growled. Of all the things he thought Sasuke might have been up to for the past six months, tracking down the ones who agreed to help him destroy Konoha was not one of them. What was he thinking? And why was Kakashi so seemingly okay with it?

"Naruto," Kakashi said. "Why don't you take Sasuke home? It's getting late. You don't need him here, do you, doctor?"

Sakura threw him an annoyed look, but shook her head. "He can go. I'll have a proper look at his arm tomorrow."

"Home?" Sasuke asked.

"You can't stay in the hospital like before," Kakashi said. "No more free-loading."

"Hey," Naruto interjected. "Why do I have to-"

"Yes yes, thank you Naruto, I'll see you in the morning before your mission," the Hokage said, waving a hand at him and Sasuke, evidently dismissing them both. He turned his eyes on Juugo and payed them no more attention.

Naruto sighed and frowned. "Come on then, bastard," he shot in Sasuke's direction, before walking out the door. At least now he'd have the chance to yell at Sasuke without him getting away.

* * *

And yet. As soon as they were alone, Naruto felt all his resolve drain out of him and he was suddenly _unsure._ _Where do I even start with this guy?_

He glanced over at Sasuke walking at his side; he looked wary, and tired, casting furtive glances around them.

Naruto sighed. He looked away so he wouldn't have to see his stupid face. Sasuke had refused to even speak to him at the hospital. And it should be up to him to explain why he'd felt the need to stay away for half a year, and why he'd even insisted on going in the first place.

"Are we going to Sakura's place?" Sasuke eventually murmured, after they'd been walking in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes.

"Are you talking to me now?" asked Naruto, scowling.

"Was there any point? You're clearly angry."

"Damn right," Naruto muttered, and went back to not speaking. Let him figure out for himself where they were going.

Sakura's apartment was only a quick walk from the hospital, nestled in between the hospital and the new Hokage tower. Evidently Sasuke had been here before at some stage; when they arrived he stood staring up at the building in recognition.

"I'm not living with _her_ , am I?" he said. "Can't I go back to my old apartment?"

"That's long gone," Naruto said with a smirk. His anger ebbed slightly in the glee he felt at seeing Sasuke _anxious_.

Sasuke frowned. "Could be worse," he murmured. "They could have made me live with _you_."

Naruto's smirk deepened. "Oh, come on," he said. "You loved every second of our time in the hospital." _Some seconds more than others_ , he added silently. He headed inside the building, motioning for Sasuke to follow him.

Sakura's place was on the top floor; Naruto walked passed her door and stopped at the next one. "Welcome home," he said, pushing it open. "Lucky bastard."

Sasuke looked momentarily surprised as they entered the apartment and Naruto flicked on the lights. It was new, and it was at least three times the size of Naruto's tiny place. A separate bedroom _and_ a tatami room. It was a mirror-image of Sakura's place next door.

"This is mine?" Sasuke said, looking around suspiciously.

"Yeah," he answered.

"How much is it?" Sasuke muttered, shaking his head.

"You own it," Naruto told him. "Kakashi-sensei bought it using your Uchiha money."

"My what?" Sasuke hissed, snapping his head back to look at Naruto. "And he _what_?"

"Ah, well, don't worry, he can't do stuff like that anymore. You're eighteen. Happy birthday, by the way," he said with a shrug. _You could have spent it here with us, you know._

Sasuke frowned. "I have money?"

"Duh. You're super rich. And also, Sakura is massively pissed that you missed _her_ birthday. Just a heads up. Really, really angry."

Seemingly unconcerned at this, Sasuke walked away from him and quickly examined the apartment. It was mostly empty; Naruto and Sakura had just gotten a few things, like a table and a couch. Sparse suited this guy, though, or so Naruto figured. But who knew what kinds of places he'd been living in up till now.

"I don't need this," Sasuke said, shaking his head again.

"You're lucky," Naruto said back. "Apartments are still a rare commodity at the moment. And my place is a shoebox compared to this."

Sasuke scoffed. "Being the town hero doesn't pay much?" he said.

"It pays like _nothing_ ," Naruto pouted.

Sasuke walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He stared for a moment, and then turned to stare back at Naruto, mildly confused.

"Well, I knew you were coming home," Naruto said, a little embarrassed. "You still like tomatoes, don't you?"

"Am I going to find ramen in the cupboards?" he asked.

Naruto chose to ignore that. "Anyway," he said. "My birthday is in a few months, so you better not miss that."

"Hmm," Sasuke replied.

"Hey! Promise. As angry as Sakura was, I'll be even _more_ angry," Naruto declared.

"Since when are birthdays such a big deal?" Sasuke asked, leaning back against the kitchen counter, and looking unimpressed by Naruto's threat, the jerk.

Naruto scowled. "You've already missed so much!"

He shrugged.

"Six months, Sasuke!"

"I said I'd come back, didn't I? And I did," he muttered, his neutral gaze switching to a glare.

Naruto wanted to kick his face in. "Sasuke-!" he hissed, tensing.

Then Sakura grabbed his shoulder from behind and he jumped. Where did she come from?!

"Oh Naruto, did I scare you?" she said with a giggle. "And what were you just about to do to Sasuke-kun?"

"Punch him," Naruto replied, sulkily.

Sasuke continued to glare.

"Well, you'll have to do that tomorrow," Sakura said, pulling on his arm and forcing him out the door. "You're got a mission in the morning, don't forget!"

"Hey Sakura-"

"Yes yes, it's lovely he's home, but you can catch up later!"

And just like that, the door was slammed in his face.

 _How rude._


	3. Angry

**Angry (Sakura's POV)**

 _In which Sakura expresses some anger, and informs Sasuke he's getting a new arm tomorrow._

* * *

Once Naruto and Sasuke left the hospital, the room was instantly quieter and calmer.

"If I could have a word with these two in private," Kakashi said, addressing the small group of medic-nin examining Suigetsu.

"We can't just leave him," Sakura said, exasperated. Kakashi just stared blankly back at her, and eventually she sighed, and ordered the rest of her team to go. "I'm staying," she said, continuing her examination of the silver-haired boy.

"As you wish," the Hokage said back, unperturbed.

Sakura listened as she worked, and cast a fleeting glance at Kakashi every now and then. The Hokage took a seat next to the other bed, reaching out to scratch Bisuke's head where the dog lay on the blankets.

"It's good to finally meet you, Juugo," he said, in that smooth steady voice of his.

The orange-haired bulk of a man didn't reply, just tilted his head in acknowledgment.

"It looks like you've been sleeping rough for a while. Since the war?" Kakashi inquired.

"…ahh," Juugo replied, with another brief nod. "When do we get started?"

Sakura blinked, and bit back her curiosity.

"Hmm," said Kakashi, leaning back in the chair. "Well. If I'm not mistaken, the doctor over there intends to strap Sasuke down and force a new arm on him at the first opportunity. Isn't that right, doctor?"

She scowled at his back. "I hadn't even thought about it yet," she lied.

"In which case," he went on, "Sasuke will be joining you back in the hospital momentarily, I'm sure. Once he's ready to get back to work, you and your friend here can get started too."

Juugo nodded.

"Sakura," Kakashi said, standing up and turning to face her. "It's late. You should call it a day."

She frowned. She looked passed him to address the other. "Juugo-san," she asked. "Is there really nothing catastrophically wrong with Suigetsu?"

He shook his head. "Like Sasuke said. Dehydrated."

 _There's so much I still have to learn_ , she marvelled, looking down at the boy from Hidden Mist; his skin so white it was almost translucent.

"He…has a weak constitution," Juugo added.

His voice was not unkind; it held no malice or meanness. It was just…empty. Sakura didn't trust these two, but she couldn't help but be a little bit interested. From a medical perspective, of course.

"Sakura," Kakashi said again, with a slight edge to his voice.

"Okay okay, _sensei_ ," she said, stressing the title. She scribbled some more notes on Suigestu's chart, and placed it in its holder at the end of the bed. "The nurses will refresh the IV fluids during the night, but otherwise we'll re-assess in the morning. There's a shower through that door, Juugo-san," she said, pointing.

Juugo nodded. "…thank you," he said, voice quiet.

"I'll leave my friend here with you for company," Kakashi said as he ushered Sakura out the door. "Don't worry, he won't bite." Bisuke waved his tail at them as they left the room.

* * *

They walked through the darkened town in silence for several minutes before Kakashi spoke.

"Your eyes have turned green, Sakura," he murmured, moving closer to her so she could hear.

"What?" she said. "They're _always_ green."

"Hmm," Kakashi said back. "This is a different green. A jealous green."

"Jealous?" she hissed. "Jealous of what? Those two?"

"Those two," he agreed. "Two of the three people Sasuke chose for his team."

Sakura scowled, and clenched her fists. "I'm not jealous; I'm _angry_. It's not fair to bring them here, and parade them in front of Naruto's face. Our _replacements_."

Kakashi paused, and they walked on. Sakura tried to supress her sudden flair-up. It was immature; but she couldn't help it. These were the two that Sasuke had asked for help from. Had relied on. Had _trusted_. And he'd brought them back to Konoha. For what purpose?

"I wonder," Kakashi murmured. "You know, Sasuke didn't have any say about getting put in team seven. But the members of this team Taka of his…we could probably learn a lot about him, by getting to know them."

Sakura turned her head away. "No," she said. "We can't. The Sasuke that chose to make that team, out of those people- it's not the same one we have here in Konoha now. It's not."

They arrived at her apartment and she made to go inside.

"Sakura," Kakashi called as she went. "At least be happy that he's home. Whatever the circumstances."

* * *

Sakura found Naruto in Sasuke's new apartment about to pummel him. This didn't surprise her, but Sakura had every intention of having Sasuke in surgery tomorrow, so she wouldn't tolerate any risks.

Once she'd pushed him out, she took a moment to stare at the slammed door in concern. When it's that easy to kick Naruto out of somewhere, she tended to get a little worried. But she had priorities!

She turned, folded her arms across her chest, and stared at Sasuke. From his place perched against the kitchen counter, he stared back. She narrowed her eyes and didn't look away. Neither did he.

This continued for a while, until eventually Sasuke turned his head and looked down at his feet, frowning slightly.

Sakura nodded. "You really are a bastard, you know?" she said. "If I wasn't a doctor, I'd be right on Naruto's side."

Sasuke glanced at her briefly, and then turned away and continued his inspection of the apartment. Sakura sighed, and followed him as he walked into the bedroom.

"You could have written," she continued. "You could have sent a message. Or you could have, you know, not stayed away for more than _half_ a _year_! What have _you_ been doing? Sasuke!"

Sasuke didn't respond, just stood silently with his back to her, staring at the dresser in his new bedroom. She moved forward and reached out to grip his shoulder, but then stopped, and froze.

 _Oh_ , she thought. _I forgot that was there_.

On the dresser was a copy of the small photo of team seven they'd taken so many years ago. It was the only personal touch in the whole apartment.

"Ah, Sasuke," she began, flustered. "Um, Kakashi-sensei put that there. We can take it away. I mean, we didn't mean to-"

"Sakura," he interrupted. "How long have you and Naruto been jounin?" he asked, still not turning around.

"Huh?" she said. "Oh- I don't know, a few months? Since my birthday. Which you'd know if you'd been-"

"And how long has Naruto been back on missions?" he interrupted again, this time turning to face her.

She frowned. "Since you left, pretty much," she said. "He took a few weeks off to adjust to his new arm when he got it. But otherwise, they've been working him pretty hard. Tsunade and Shikamaru and Kakashi-sensei."

Sasuke glanced down at his left shoulder, still covered by the cloak he wore.

"Yours is ready too," she added. "And don't you dare say you won't take it. I've worked too damn hard!"

Sasuke shrugged. "I've gotten used to it like this," he said. "But do what you want."

 _That's bull_ , she thought. _You'll never catch up to Naruto with one arm!_

She sighed. "I'll do exactly as I please, then. We'll start tomorrow, as long as you're healthy enough."

 _I've had it all ready go for months, after all!_

She moved towards him and he started, slightly, but didn't move. Sakura undid the cloak and threw it on the bed, and quickly checked for any obvious injuries. He'd seemed well enough, in the hospital. She lay her hands lightly on his left shoulder and closed her eyes, and probed at his shoulder gently.

"Mm," she said. "I think it should be okay. You haven't had any more phantom pain?"

He didn't respond. Of course he didn't. How long had it taken before he'd been willing to talk to her about it, back in the hospital?

"Sasuke?" she asked, gently. "You know I'll get answers from you, eventually."

When he still didn't respond, Sakura took that as a yes. Well, there wasn't anything she could really do, just trust that he was still following her instructions on taking care of it himself.

"Your two friends in the hospital aren't seriously injured, as far as I can tell- but they've clearly been living rough for a while, and probably getting into some fights by the look of it."

Sasuke just shrugged again, and didn't elaborate.

"What have you been up to, Sasuke? I've picked up a few clues from listening to Kakashi-sensei. I haven't liked what I've been hearing."

Things like, _old research stations, safe houses, networks._

Motioning to the dresser, she said, "there's some basic clothes in here, and you can buy whatever you need later. Get some sleep." She turned and left the room.

"Sakura," he called out as she went.

"Mm?" she asked.

"How long until I can use it?"

She paused. "Assuming you'll take longer than Naruto to heal- that's just a given. I'd give it a week before you can move it, a month to master it."

He frowned. "And…and it'll feel- normal?"

Sakura fidgeted, knowing she couldn't give him the answer he wanted. It wouldn't feel the same, and she was pretty sure Sasuke would hate it, for a while, at least. With Naruto, it had been- challenging. He'd wanted her to take it right back off.

"It'll take some time to get used to. But it'll be worth it; Naruto's doing very well with it."

She stared back at him, steadily; and eventually, he nodded.

"I'll be right next door if you need anything, but I'm sure you'll want some time alone. I'll come and get you in the morning, okay?"

He nodded again.

She left the room before she lost her nerve, and headed back to her own apartment. She had a long night in front of her; Naruto's surgery had given her a lot of ideas, and she was determined that everything wold do smoothly.

* * *

 _Coming up next: Kakashi visits Sasuke, and Team 7 has a screaming match in Sasuke's hospital room._


	4. Not This Place Again

**And Again (Sasuke's POV)**

 _In which Kakashi visits Sasuke, and Team 7 has a screaming match in Sasuke's hospital room._

* * *

Sasuke was unhappy. Really unhappy. His shoulder and back hurt. His new arm hurt. He was back in this miserable village. He was back in this damn hospital.

The sensation in his new arm was awful; indescribably so. In the small amount of time he was left alone in the hospital room, he couldn't help but let it show on his face, wincing in pain, even letting out a groan or two, against his will. But the physical pain was bearable; Sasuke had had worse, that was for sure.

It just felt _wrong_. When he woke up after the operation, it felt wrong. When the anaesthetic wore off and the pain kicked in, it felt wrong. Now it was 24 hours later, and that feeling was only getting worse. This arm was not a part of his body, it didn't belong, it didn't _fit_.

Sasuke closed his eyes and frowned. The things he'd experienced. What a list that would be. But that was different, that was _before_. Everything he'd done had been because he had something he needed to do, something he needed to achieve. He didn't need this arm. He didn't have anything he needed to achieve. So it felt _wrong_.

"Sasuke," came a voice from the door, and he started to attention, cursing himself for not realising someone had walked in. How long had he been standing there? "How are you feeling?"

It was Kakashi. He came over and sat down next to the bed.

"Fine," Sasuke managed.

He looked over at the clock; it was just past 5 o'clock. His sense of time was still a little muddled, coming off the anaesthetic.

"If you'd talked to Naruto before, you might have been prepared for some of what you're feeling," Kakashi said.

"I don't need his help," Sasuke said back.

"Right. Well." Kakashi sat back in the chair. It looked like he was getting ready to stay for a while. "I can see Sakura struck before you could object. And your pride won't let you ask her to take it off."

Sasuke scoffed. "Take it off?"

"Naruto asked her to," Kakashi said, softly.

Sasuke blinked, and thought about that. Had he really? He seemed to be used to the arm by now. At least, that was Sasuke's impression, based on the small amount of time he'd seen the blonde since he'd been back.

"Your friends are doing well," Kakashi went on, changing the subject. "And they seem willing enough to go on with the job, once you're out of hospital. I've got a room set up at the tower. Maps and records, photos, everything we've got."

Sasuke nodded. "There's some people I need to speak to here. That Yamato guy. Tsunade."

"The council is not happy at you having access to any of the files. But they're willing to wait until they get your reports. Well…somewhat willing."

"Just need to write it all down," Sasuke said. He'd not wanted to commit anything to paper while he was travelling around; he couldn't let anything like that fall into the wrong hands.

"And- another thing. Technically, now that you're eighteen…"

Sasuke sighed. "…you can't make any more extravagant purchases in my name."

Kakashi grinned, and all seriousness left his eyes. "Don't you like the apartment? Right next to your dear friend. You could communicate through the walls. Morse code, you know."

"And so close to the tower _and_ the medical centre. How convenient."

"Exactly! Exactly what I thought when I bought it."

"How much money is there?" Sasuke asked.

"Hmm…a fair bit," Kakashi said. "I was surprised. Tsunade and the third took good care of it. And then there's the land."

"I don't want that." Sasuke quickly said. The land where the Uchiha estate had stood was still sealed off from the rest of the village; he'd visited it once, and then never again.

Kakashi held his hands up in defence. "You don't need to do anything with it! Ignore it all you like. Well, all you can. You're officially clan leader now."

Sasuke turned his head away to face the other wall. He'd purged any trace of the Uchiha symbols from his small collection of belongings. He'd been relieved to discover that the crest didn't appear on anything in his apartment. That was a kindness. Every time he'd seen it around Konoha, something inside him, something un-nameable, ached.

"I don't want that, either."

"For now, the rights and responsibilities can stay with the Hokage's office, as they've done the past ten years. But one day-"

"Don't."

"Sasuke-"

"Oi Sasuke!" came a loud, piercing voice. "Did you seriously get your arm without telling me?!" Sasuke winced.

"Shit," he muttered. _I don't have the energy for this._

Naruto came crashing into the room with a loud bang. "You _did_!" he cried. "What the hell?"

Sasuke felt something snap. "This is a hospital, dead-last!" he yelled at Naruto. "Stop screaming!"

"You're such a jerk!" Naruto screamed, waving his arms in that ridiculous Naruto-rage of his. "All this good advice I've been saving up for you! You should have told me!"

Sasuke growled, and pushed himself up in the bed, choking back a noise of pain as he did so. "I don't have to tell you _anything_!"

"Now, now, boys," Kakashi interjected, standing up and reaching over to help support Sasuke. "This is a hospital, like Sasuke said."

"Sensei!" Naruto yelled. "Can you believe this guy? What a shitty friend! Away for a year, picks a fight with me, then has surgery without my permission!"

 _Oh my god_ , Sasuke thought. He didn't even know where to start with _that_! He let out an exasperated breath and prepared to speak again.

"Na-ru-tooo!" came Sakura's fierce voice and Naruto gasped and moved to hide behind Kakashi. "There's no screaming in the hospital!"

"If everyone could just stop screaming-" Kakashi suggested.

" _Shut up_!" all three yelled at him, and Kakashi sighed, falling back into his chair.

"My precious students," he whined. "Where did those cute, respectable students go?"

They all scoffed at that.

"Naruto," Sakura hissed, reaching out to grab his collar. "Visiting hours are _over_."

"Kakashi-sensei is here," Naruto said back with a pout.

"He's the Hokage," Sakura said, and she proceeded to drag him out of the room by force.

"Ah, wait! Sasuke!" he called as he was dragged. "Sasuke, you just have to make friends with the arm! I know you've never made friends before-"

Sasuke scowled as Naruto's voice disappeared down the hall. After several minutes it got quiet again, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Very slowly, he tried to lay back down again, and realised he was panting.

"Should I call Sakura back?" Kakashi asked.

He shook his head, and squeezed his eyes shut, willing the pain away.

"I'll distract you. It just so happens we can pick up right where we left off." There was a rustling noise as Kakashi searched for something in his pockets. He cleared his throat. "Ahem. Chapter Four. Makoto had never felt feelings like this towards her friend before, but it was exciting. Haruka, on the other hand-"

"Call Sakura," Sasuke hissed. "Call her _now_!"

 _Coming up next: Juugo examines a bright orange book and Suigetsu gets bitten._


	5. Juugo and Suigetsu

**Angry (Sakura's POV)**

 _In which Sakura expresses some anger, and informs Sasuke he's getting a new arm tomorrow._

* * *

Once Naruto and Sasuke left the hospital, the room was instantly quieter and calmer.

"If I could have a word with these two in private," Kakashi said, addressing the small group of medic-nin examining Suigetsu.

"We can't just leave him," Sakura said, exasperated. Kakashi just stared blankly back at her, and eventually she sighed, and ordered the rest of her team to go. "I'm staying," she said, continuing her examination of the silver-haired boy.

"As you wish," the Hokage said back, unperturbed.

Sakura listened as she worked, and cast a fleeting glance at Kakashi every now and then. The Hokage took a seat next to the other bed, reaching out to scratch Bisuke's head where the dog lay on the blankets.

"It's good to finally meet you, Juugo," he said, in that smooth steady voice of his.

The orange-haired bulk of a man didn't reply, just tilted his head in acknowledgment.

"It looks like you've been sleeping rough for a while. Since the war?" Kakashi inquired.

"…ahh," Juugo replied, with another brief nod. "When do we get started?"

Sakura blinked, and bit back her curiosity.

"Hmm," said Kakashi, leaning back in the chair. "Well. If I'm not mistaken, the doctor over there intends to strap Sasuke down and force a new arm on him at the first opportunity. Isn't that right, doctor?"

She scowled at his back. "I hadn't even thought about it yet," she lied.

"In which case," he went on, "Sasuke will be joining you back in the hospital momentarily, I'm sure. Once he's ready to get back to work, you and your friend here can get started too."

Juugo nodded.

"Sakura," Kakashi said, standing up and turning to face her. "It's late. You should call it a day."

She frowned. She looked passed him to address the other. "Juugo-san," she asked. "Is there really nothing catastrophically wrong with Suigetsu?"

He shook his head. "Like Sasuke said. Dehydrated."

 _There's so much I still have to learn_ , she marvelled, looking down at the boy from Hidden Mist; his skin so white it was almost translucent.

"He…has a weak constitution," Juugo added.

His voice was not unkind; it held no malice or meanness. It was just…empty. Sakura didn't trust these two, but she couldn't help but be a little bit interested. From a medical perspective, of course.

"Sakura," Kakashi said again, with a slight edge to his voice.

"Okay okay, _sensei_ ," she said, stressing the title. She scribbled some more notes on Suigestu's chart, and placed it in its holder at the end of the bed. "The nurses will refresh the IV fluids during the night, but otherwise we'll re-assess in the morning. There's a shower through that door, Juugo-san," she said, pointing.

Juugo nodded. "…thank you," he said, voice quiet.

"I'll leave my friend here with you for company," Kakashi said as he ushered Sakura out the door. "Don't worry, he won't bite." Bisuke waved his tail at them as they left the room.

* * *

They walked through the darkened town in silence for several minutes before Kakashi spoke.

"Your eyes have turned green, Sakura," he murmured, moving closer to her so she could hear.

"What?" she said. "They're _always_ green."

"Hmm," Kakashi said back. "This is a different green. A jealous green."

"Jealous?" she hissed. "Jealous of what? Those two?"

"Those two," he agreed. "Two of the three people Sasuke chose for his team."

Sakura scowled, and clenched her fists. "I'm not jealous; I'm _angry_. It's not fair to bring them here, and parade them in front of Naruto's face. Our _replacements_."

Kakashi paused, and they walked on. Sakura tried to supress her sudden flair-up. It was immature; but she couldn't help it. These were the two that Sasuke had asked for help from. Had relied on. Had _trusted_. And he'd brought them back to Konoha. For what purpose?

"I wonder," Kakashi murmured. "You know, Sasuke didn't have any say about getting put in team seven. But the members of this team Taka of his…we could probably learn a lot about him, by getting to know them."

Sakura turned her head away. "No," she said. "We can't. The Sasuke that chose to make that team, out of those people- it's not the same one we have here in Konoha now. It's not."

They arrived at her apartment and she made to go inside.

"Sakura," Kakashi called as she went. "At least be happy that he's home. Whatever the circumstances."

* * *

Sakura found Naruto in Sasuke's new apartment about to pummel him. This didn't surprise her, but Sakura had every intention of having Sasuke in surgery tomorrow, so she wouldn't tolerate any risks.

Once she'd pushed him out, she took a moment to stare at the slammed door in concern. When it's that easy to kick Naruto out of somewhere, she tended to get a little worried. But she had priorities!

She turned, folded her arms across her chest, and stared at Sasuke. From his place perched against the kitchen counter, he stared back. She narrowed her eyes and didn't look away. Neither did he.

This continued for a while, until eventually Sasuke turned his head and looked down at his feet, frowning slightly.

Sakura nodded. "You really are a bastard, you know?" she said. "If I wasn't a doctor, I'd be right on Naruto's side."

Sasuke glanced at her briefly, and then turned away and continued his inspection of the apartment. Sakura sighed, and followed him as he walked into the bedroom.

"You could have written," she continued. "You could have sent a message. Or you could have, you know, not stayed away for more than _half_ a _year_! What have _you_ been doing? Sasuke!"

Sasuke didn't respond, just stood silently with his back to her, staring at the dresser in his new bedroom. She moved forward and reached out to grip his shoulder, but then stopped, and froze.

 _Oh_ , she thought. _I forgot that was there_.

On the dresser was a copy of the small photo of team seven they'd taken so many years ago. It was the only personal touch in the whole apartment.

"Ah, Sasuke," she began, flustered. "Um, Kakashi-sensei put that there. We can take it away. I mean, we didn't mean to-"

"Sakura," he interrupted. "How long have you and Naruto been jounin?" he asked, still not turning around.

"Huh?" she said. "Oh- I don't know, a few months? Since my birthday. Which you'd know if you'd been-"

"And how long has Naruto been back on missions?" he interrupted again, this time turning to face her.

She frowned. "Since you left, pretty much," she said. "He took a few weeks off to adjust to his new arm when he got it. But otherwise, they've been working him pretty hard. Tsunade and Shikamaru and Kakashi-sensei."

Sasuke glanced down at his left shoulder, still covered by the cloak he wore.

"Yours is ready too," she added. "And don't you dare say you won't take it. I've worked too damn hard!"

Sasuke shrugged. "I've gotten used to it like this," he said. "But do what you want."

 _That's bull_ , she thought. _You'll never catch up to Naruto with one arm!_

She sighed. "I'll do exactly as I please, then. We'll start tomorrow, as long as you're healthy enough."

 _I've had it all ready go for months, after all!_

She moved towards him and he started, slightly, but didn't move. Sakura undid the cloak and threw it on the bed, and quickly checked for any obvious injuries. He'd seemed well enough, in the hospital. She lay her hands lightly on his left shoulder and closed her eyes, and probed at his shoulder gently.

"Mm," she said. "I think it should be okay. You haven't had any more phantom pain?"

He didn't respond. Of course he didn't. How long had it taken before he'd been willing to talk to her about it, back in the hospital?

"Sasuke?" she asked, gently. "You know I'll get answers from you, eventually."

When he still didn't respond, Sakura took that as a yes. Well, there wasn't anything she could really do, just trust that he was still following her instructions on taking care of it himself.

"Your two friends in the hospital aren't seriously injured, as far as I can tell- but they've clearly been living rough for a while, and probably getting into some fights by the look of it."

Sasuke just shrugged again, and didn't elaborate.

"What have you been up to, Sasuke? I've picked up a few clues from listening to Kakashi-sensei. I haven't liked what I've been hearing."

Things like, _old research stations, safe houses, networks._

Motioning to the dresser, she said, "there's some basic clothes in here, and you can buy whatever you need later. Get some sleep." She turned and left the room.

"Sakura," he called out as she went.

"Mm?" she asked.

"How long until I can use it?"

She paused. "Assuming you'll take longer than Naruto to heal- that's just a given. I'd give it a week before you can move it, a month to master it."

He frowned. "And…and it'll feel- normal?"

Sakura fidgeted, knowing she couldn't give him the answer he wanted. It wouldn't feel the same, and she was pretty sure Sasuke would hate it, for a while, at least. With Naruto, it had been- challenging. He'd wanted her to take it right back off.

"It'll take some time to get used to. But it'll be worth it; Naruto's doing very well with it."

She stared back at him, steadily; and eventually, he nodded.

"I'll be right next door if you need anything, but I'm sure you'll want some time alone. I'll come and get you in the morning, okay?"

He nodded again.

She left the room before she lost her nerve, and headed back to her own apartment. She had a long night in front of her; Naruto's surgery had given her a lot of ideas, and she was determined that everything wold do smoothly.

* * *

 _Coming up next: Kakashi visits Sasuke, and Team 7 has a screaming match in Sasuke's hospital room._


	6. Defenders

**And Again (Sasuke's POV)**

 _In which Kakashi visits Sasuke, and Team 7 has a screaming match in Sasuke's hospital room._

* * *

Sasuke was unhappy. Really unhappy. His shoulder and back hurt. His new arm hurt. He was back in this miserable village. He was back in this damn hospital.

The sensation in his new arm was awful; indescribably so. In the small amount of time he was left alone in the hospital room, he couldn't help but let it show on his face, wincing in pain, even letting out a groan or two, against his will. But the physical pain was bearable; Sasuke had had worse, that was for sure.

It just felt _wrong_. When he woke up after the operation, it felt wrong. When the anaesthetic wore off and the pain kicked in, it felt wrong. Now it was 24 hours later, and that feeling was only getting worse. This arm was not a part of his body, it didn't belong, it didn't _fit_.

Sasuke closed his eyes and frowned. The things he'd experienced. What a list that would be. But that was different, that was _before_. Everything he'd done had been because he had something he needed to do, something he needed to achieve. He didn't need this arm. He didn't have anything he needed to achieve. So it felt _wrong_.

"Sasuke," came a voice from the door, and he started to attention, cursing himself for not realising someone had walked in. How long had he been standing there? "How are you feeling?"

It was Kakashi. He came over and sat down next to the bed.

"Fine," Sasuke managed.

He looked over at the clock; it was just past 5 o'clock. His sense of time was still a little muddled, coming off the anaesthetic.

"If you'd talked to Naruto before, you might have been prepared for some of what you're feeling," Kakashi said.

"I don't need his help," Sasuke said back.

"Right. Well." Kakashi sat back in the chair. It looked like he was getting ready to stay for a while. "I can see Sakura struck before you could object. And your pride won't let you ask her to take it off."

Sasuke scoffed. "Take it off?"

"Naruto asked her to," Kakashi said, softly.

Sasuke blinked, and thought about that. Had he really? He seemed to be used to the arm by now. At least, that was Sasuke's impression, based on the small amount of time he'd seen the blonde since he'd been back.

"Your friends are doing well," Kakashi went on, changing the subject. "And they seem willing enough to go on with the job, once you're out of hospital. I've got a room set up at the tower. Maps and records, photos, everything we've got."

Sasuke nodded. "There's some people I need to speak to here. That Yamato guy. Tsunade."

"The council is not happy at you having access to any of the files. But they're willing to wait until they get your reports. Well…somewhat willing."

"Just need to write it all down," Sasuke said. He'd not wanted to commit anything to paper while he was travelling around; he couldn't let anything like that fall into the wrong hands.

"And- another thing. Technically, now that you're eighteen…"

Sasuke sighed. "…you can't make any more extravagant purchases in my name."

Kakashi grinned, and all seriousness left his eyes. "Don't you like the apartment? Right next to your dear friend. You could communicate through the walls. Morse code, you know."

"And so close to the tower _and_ the medical centre. How convenient."

"Exactly! Exactly what I thought when I bought it."

"How much money is there?" Sasuke asked.

"Hmm…a fair bit," Kakashi said. "I was surprised. Tsunade and the third took good care of it. And then there's the land."

"I don't want that." Sasuke quickly said. The land where the Uchiha estate had stood was still sealed off from the rest of the village; he'd visited it once, and then never again.

Kakashi held his hands up in defence. "You don't need to do anything with it! Ignore it all you like. Well, all you can. You're officially clan leader now."

Sasuke turned his head away to face the other wall. He'd purged any trace of the Uchiha symbols from his small collection of belongings. He'd been relieved to discover that the crest didn't appear on anything in his apartment. That was a kindness. Every time he'd seen it around Konoha, something inside him, something un-nameable, ached.

"I don't want that, either."

"For now, the rights and responsibilities can stay with the Hokage's office, as they've done the past ten years. But one day-"

"Don't."

"Sasuke-"

"Oi Sasuke!" came a loud, piercing voice. "Did you seriously get your arm without telling me?!" Sasuke winced.

"Shit," he muttered. _I don't have the energy for this._

Naruto came crashing into the room with a loud bang. "You _did_!" he cried. "What the hell?"

Sasuke felt something snap. "This is a hospital, dead-last!" he yelled at Naruto. "Stop screaming!"

"You're such a jerk!" Naruto screamed, waving his arms in that ridiculous Naruto-rage of his. "All this good advice I've been saving up for you! You should have told me!"

Sasuke growled, and pushed himself up in the bed, choking back a noise of pain as he did so. "I don't have to tell you _anything_!"

"Now, now, boys," Kakashi interjected, standing up and reaching over to help support Sasuke. "This is a hospital, like Sasuke said."

"Sensei!" Naruto yelled. "Can you believe this guy? What a shitty friend! Away for a year, picks a fight with me, then has surgery without my permission!"

 _Oh my god_ , Sasuke thought. He didn't even know where to start with _that_! He let out an exasperated breath and prepared to speak again.

"Na-ru-tooo!" came Sakura's fierce voice and Naruto gasped and moved to hide behind Kakashi. "There's no screaming in the hospital!"

"If everyone could just stop screaming-" Kakashi suggested.

" _Shut up_!" all three yelled at him, and Kakashi sighed, falling back into his chair.

"My precious students," he whined. "Where did those cute, respectable students go?"

They all scoffed at that.

"Naruto," Sakura hissed, reaching out to grab his collar. "Visiting hours are _over_."

"Kakashi-sensei is here," Naruto said back with a pout.

"He's the Hokage," Sakura said, and she proceeded to drag him out of the room by force.

"Ah, wait! Sasuke!" he called as he was dragged. "Sasuke, you just have to make friends with the arm! I know you've never made friends before-"

Sasuke scowled as Naruto's voice disappeared down the hall. After several minutes it got quiet again, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Very slowly, he tried to lay back down again, and realised he was panting.

"Should I call Sakura back?" Kakashi asked.

He shook his head, and squeezed his eyes shut, willing the pain away.

"I'll distract you. It just so happens we can pick up right where we left off." There was a rustling noise as Kakashi searched for something in his pockets. He cleared his throat. "Ahem. Chapter Four. Makoto had never felt feelings like this towards her friend before, but it was exciting. Haruka, on the other hand-"

"Call Sakura," Sasuke hissed. "Call her _now_!"

 _Coming up next: Juugo examines a bright orange book and Suigetsu gets bitten._


	7. First Day

**First Day (Sasuke's POV)**

 _In which Sasuke is finally released from hospital and begins work at the Hokage tower._

* * *

Sasuke had been more than ready to get out of that damn hospital and get back to work. It had been very peaceful with Naruto away, but without anything to actually do, it was also extremely boring. He finally convinced Sakura to release him more than a week later. He could move his arm, a little, and it didn't hurt too bad. He'd agreed to follow her instructions exactly and _absolutely no training or picking fights with Naruto_ , in her words.

He followed Kakashi through the halls of the new Hokage tower, it having been completed while he was away. A few people, mostly Naruto's friends like Shikamaru, acknowledged his presence in the building and didn't make a fuss. Most of the Anbu, whom he recognized from their constant rotation around his hospital room earlier in the year, also seemed perfectly relaxed.

Then there were others who seemed openly curious, and some who even seemed openly unhappy. But there was nothing they could do about whatever crazy scheme their new Hokage was up to. Every Hokage had their quirks. It seemed that tolerating Sasuke Uchiha was the Rokudaime's.

They left the main floor at the top of the building and headed downwards, with the number of staff and people decreasing the further they went. Eventually they reached a small unmarked room in a quiet part of the building.

"There were records about Orochimaru's work spread all through the official archives, and all over Konoha. At the hospital. In the Anbu files. We need them consolidated into a single place and a single mind," Kakashi was saying as he ushered Sasuke into the room.

"There's already plenty of information permanently embedded in my brain," Sasuke said. "A little more won't hurt." Glancing around the room, he saw that all four walls were completely obscured with piles and piles of boxes, paper spilling out; more boxes of documents were spread out over the table in the centre of the room.

"That's the spirit!" Kakashi said, clamping him on the shoulder. "But how about a lot more? There's another storage room through that door. And then in a more secure location, there's, um- the specimens. Maybe save that for later."

Sasuke picked up a random piece of paper, covered in handwritten notes. He recognised Orochimaru's writing, and frowned, skin crawling ever so slightly. _Better get used to it_ , he thought, placing the paper back down in a smooth, controlled movement.

Kakashi pulled out a map and spread it open on the table. "These are all the locations we've identified so far, including the ones you and your companions have told us about. We're certain there's more."

Sasuke nodded. "I agree."

"Your friend Karin might be able to contribute, but she doesn't seem too willing."

He shrugged. "And I'm guessing that's why she's locked up in prison, while you've got Suigetsu and Juugo working on official Konoha projects."

Kakashi grinned. "Yes, we'll use whatever help we can get. We need to get a handle on all of this stuff. It's already causing problems with the union. Too much of what happened with Orochimaru and the Akatsuki can be blamed on Konoha."

 _Well, shouldn't it be?_ Sasuke thought, growling under his breath. He appreciated that Kakashi spoke to him without censoring himself, but it did mean he had to work hard to bite his tongue when he said stuff like _that_.

"These ones marked in red are the bases you've confirmed are occupied," Kakashi went on, pointing to about six locations on the map. "Ideally we'll be investigating them ASAP to find out more- but we're very understaffed, and even with your reports, our information is patchy."

"Even if you're understaffed, shouldn't this be a higher priority?" Sasuke asked with a frown.

"You'll see after a few days, what a madhouse this place is. We don't want to send just one or two teams by themselves out there. We could send Naruto, but we all agree it would be best to keep him out of it."

Sasuke nodded. "I'd go back, but I'll be too easily recognized."

"We just have to patient. We'll get through it all, eventually. Keep working on it. Yamato is your official Anbu correspondent for all this, so ask him for whatever you need along those lines." Kakashi said.

Sasuke glanced around the room, wondering just how long this was all going to take. At least he wouldn't get bored. Ever again.

"Alright, let's go back upstairs. More things I need to show you."

* * *

They headed out the door and Sasuke steeled himself to pass more disapproving ninja in the halls. _It doesn't bother me, not really_ , he told himself. It was just- annoying. People should really just get used to it. _He_ had to get used to being back in this demon town, and that was much, much worse.

"I need you to keep working on the missing-nin as well," Kakashi was saying, voice softer now that they were out of the room. "Keep an eye on the mission reports as they come in. You'll have access to most of them."

"That'll make people happy," he muttered.

Kakashi reached over to pat him on the head, and he scowled. "They'll get used to it. It would be madness not to take advantage of your connections and information."

They reached the main floor and suddenly jounin and chuunin were everywhere; several missions must have just returned. Sasuke found himself instinctively sinking back to the wall away from all the noise.

"Mm, I'll show you the records later," Kakashi said, running a hand through his hair. "Let me deal with this lot first."

Sasuke watched his ex-teacher weave through the crowd towards some unfamiliar shinobi; as they turned, he realized they were from Hidden Cloud. He spotted Naruto near them, and quickly looked away. The sight of the blonde in his jounin uniform was- odd. It was such a stark change from his usual garish orange that Sasuke had to force himself not to stare.

Sasuke turned to escape back to his quiet new office.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun!" came a call from behind him, and he winced.

Turning, he spotted Rock Lee and Tenten fast approaching, and he forced his face into a neutral expression. _Be nice_ , came a voice in his head, that sounded suspiciously like Sakura's. These two had been away on a long-term mission, and he hadn't seen them in a long time.

"We heard you were back," Tenten said to him.

"And with your new arm! Congratulations!" Lee beamed at him.

"Lee!" his teammate hissed. "Can't you be a little more subtle?"

Sasuke sighed. "Uh, it's fine. Yes, new arm. It's great."

"Hey, Sasuke," Tenten began, turning back to him. "About that new guy. I hear he's got some amazing weapons. Do you think he'll show me?"

 _Such a weapons geek_ , he thought.

"He's stashed them all somewhere," Sasuke said, a sour look taking over his face. Not only that, but Suigetsu had apparently added a lot of new weapons to his personal collection in the time he spent dragging Juugo around the country, beating people up and getting beaten up himself.

Tenten's face fell. "Oh. That's a shame."

"A shame, yes," he said, not meaning it at all.

He looked passed Tenten and Lee and saw Naruto staring at them, a small frown on his face. He looked unusually sombre. Their eyes met briefly and Sasuke froze; luckily, Ino grabbed Naruto's arm and demanded his attention before it became awkward.

"Listen, I have to go. Um, see you later?" Sasuke said, following Sakura's instructions for how to end conversations with people you're trying to keep on your good side.

"We have to do our mission report anyway. And then more training!" said Lee, with far too much enthusiasm for someone who'd been working non-stop for three weeks.

"Sounds great," Sasuke said, then turned and escaped the crowded room as quickly and as subtly as he possibly could.

His face felt unnaturally warm and he hoped he wasn't blushing. _It's just the uniform_ , he told himself. It made the moron seem like a different person, like a more mature person, a real shinobi instead of a foolish, careless dead-last.

Yes, it was just the uniform.

* * *

Sasuke realised he would need to wait for Suigetsu and Juugo before he could start moving boxes around and properly going through all the massive piles of documents; he definitely didn't feel comfortable using his left arm properly yet. _That will pass_ , he told himself.

Instead, he spent the rest of the afternoon updating the map Kakashi had shown him, pining it to the wall and adding his own notes. He'd spent more than a month circling the bases in the south, where the network that called itself _Shin_ operated. Many of the people in this group he guessed were ex-prisoners, and he knew that his old team members would know more about its key figures. This group was only dangerous in that it was reckless, and that it had a lot of members; they could be put down relatively easily.

The other networks were more of a concern, especially the one in the east, which was occupying an old research station. The key objective here was to determine who knew what about Orochimaru's research; how far his knowledge had spread, and how many of his jutsus were now being used by others. Despite Kakashi's seeming frustration over how Konoha could be 'blamed' for this mess, Sasuke knew that the responsibility did and should lie entirely with Hidden Leaf, and it was far from being the only murky and dangerous legacy the village was leaving for future generations.

Sasuke didn't know how long he'd been working, but he was pulled out of a deep concentration by a scratching at the door.

It was Pakkun. "What?" he asked, annoyed at the disruption.

"Kakashi orders you to go home," the pug said. "He doesn't want to be accused of overworking you. He's genuinely afraid of Sakura, you know."

Sasuke sighed. "I'll just keep working at home, then," he said.

The pug nodded. "That's fine. She can't blame that on us."

Gathering up a few files, Sasuke headed out the building, surprised to discover it was quite dark, and the tower was almost empty. And then he was surprised again to discover, lounging on a bench outside the front gate, a particular blonde-haired idiot, evidently waiting for him.

"Oh, Sasuke!" Naruto said, looking over at him. He was smiling that ridiculous smile of his, the one he always did when he saw him. It was disconcerting, especially as no matter how unpleasant Sasuke made their encounters, no matter how angry or frustrated he left Naruto feeling, he'd be greeted with that same loaded grin the next time. _I can't win against such idiocy_ , he thought.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked. "You're not waiting for me, are you?"

"Oh, well, I just wanted to tell you I was back from my mission," Naruto replied.

"Obviously," Sasuke said back.

"And, well, to see how the arm is," Naruto went on, undeterred.

Sasuke sighed. "It's not healing any faster than yours did, if that's what you mean. But it's fine."

"Oh," Naruto said. "Good."

Sasuke made to walk off, and Naruto stood and reached out to stop him, grabbing his wrist.

"Um, just one more thing," Naruto said. "Did you meet the Hidden Cloud ambassadors today?"

"I saw them, in the tower," Sasuke replied, tugging his wrist out of Naruto's grasp and moving out of his range.

"Uh, well. Maybe try not to meet them," Naruto. "They, ah. They don't really trust you. You know, after the whole Killer Bee thing."

Sasuke sighed. He should have seen that one coming. Sometimes it was hard to keep track of who hated him and for what reasons. "Yeah, okay. I'll just add them to my list of people to avoid. I can't imagine why I wasn't eager to get back to this place."

At that, Naruto looked completely deflated, the light going out of his eyes.

 _Shit_ , Sasuke thought. Maybe that was a little too harsh. Even if it was true.

"Sasuke," Naruto began with a frown. "Do you really mean-"

"Forget I said anything," he interrupted. _Let's not go down that path._ "I have to go. Thanks for the warning, I guess."

He turned and walked away before the idiot could say anything else, and hurried off down the street, not looking back. He could feel Naruto watching him leave, and he could just picture that forlorn expression on his face. _Well, deal with it, dead-last._

* * *

 _Coming up next: Sakura debates the merits of sex with friends, and arranges a training session for Sasuke with his worst nightmare._


	8. Now That's Friendship

**Sakura's Personal Mission (Sakura's POV)**

 _In which Sakura debates the merits of sex with friends, and arranges a training session for Sasuke with his worst nightmare._

* * *

Naruto was one of Sakura's best friends, and she loved him to pieces, but _god_ , he could be _ferociously_ annoying when he chose to be! She had been looking forward to spending the day with him and Sai on a rare mission outside the hospital, but the boy seemed determined to spend the day sulking.

They'd been sent to a camp that had been set up a few hours away; its inhabitants were civilian refugees whose village had been destroyed during the war. It was almost time for them to go home, and Sakura had been sent to give a quick check-up to anyone who needed it.

In the meantime, Sai was helping co-ordinate departure preparations, and Naruto had sent his clones off to help with whatever needed doing, but he'd kept his real self lurking around the medical tent, 'assisting' Sakura. He did this the entire time, and even now that she'd finished the check-ups he was still in a foul mood.

"Cut it out, Naruto," she said, glaring at him where he sat slouched in a corner of the tent, staring up at the roof.

"Cut what out," he muttered back, not looking at her. He sighed.

"It must be really draining, keeping up this bad mood," she said. "It's certainly been draining for _me_."

"I'm not doing anything," he grumbled. "I'm just sitting here."

"When you should be doing something useful! At least help me with these medical packs? Don't you want these people to leave with everything they need?"

"The clones are doing heaps already," he said. "They've even been entertaining like, a hundred kids all day, single-handedly."

 _Single-handedly, huh._

"Naruto," she said. "Is there something bothering you?"

"Oh, nah…" he said, taking a deep, troubled breath. "It's nothing…"

She rolled her eyes and turned back to her work, swiftly sorting through the supplies that people might need for their journey back home.

It's not that Naruto was _never_ in a bad mood; even if he was renowned for his sun-shiny attitude, he could sulk with the best of them. It's just that it never usually lasted for more than, say, five minutes before he got distracted by something and bounced back.

This was true even in the past year, when it had been Sasuke and all that associated unpleasantness that he'd been sulking over. So what was it that was bothering him today? He clearly wanted to talk about something, and she wished he'd just come out say it.

Naruto sighed again, particularly loudly and insistent, and she lost it.

"Naruto, my god! Just spit it out already or I'm going to pummel you!" She stalked over to him and grabbed the front of his shirt in her clenched fists.

He frowned up at her. "Don't yell at me," he whined.

She gripped his shirt tighter, pulling him up off the chair. "I mean it! Tell me what's bothering you _now_!"

He pouted, and looked down. "Sasuke doesn't want to be my friend anymore," he said.

She glared. "Are you kidding me with this?"

"I mean it," he said, still pouting.

"Ugh! Naruto, seriously!" She let go of his shirt, and he slumped back down against the back of his chair.

Sakura took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down. Okay, she could deal with this. Just let him get it off his chest.

She pulled up a chair and sat down in front of him.

"Alright," she said. "Tell me what happened." She tried to remove the anger from her face and replace it with a welcoming, supportive expression (this was not one of her talents).

"I don't want to talk about-"

She narrowed her eyes.

"Ah! Okay, okay, I'll tell you!" Naruto said, looking over at her and seeming alarmed. "It's just that I've barely even seen him the whole time he's been back!"

This Sakura knew, as she'd been keeping a tight watch on Sasuke's location for the past two and a half weeks. For medical purposes, of course.

"Well, he's been in hospital, and you've been on missions," she told him.

"Yeah, but _still_. He's seriously, like, actively avoiding me. And when I try to talk to him, he just-" Naruto sighed, crossed his arms, and looked down.

"He just?" Sakura prompted.

"It's those walls again," he muttered.

Ah yes. The _walls._ The Sasuke that they'd brought back to Konoha almost a year ago was a real wonder. For three weeks he barely spoke to anyone, and he'd somehow managed to maintain an impressive aura of hostility towards all living things for the entire time.

"It's like he's put all those walls back up," Naruto went on. "It's not as bad as those first few weeks in the hospital. But pretty bad. I can't tell what he's thinking at all, if he's even okay, or if something's really wrong."

 _Something's always wrong with Sasuke_ , she wanted to say.

"He's okay, Naruto," she said instead. "Not great, maybe, but what can you expect? You don't need to worry about him so much." _He really doesn't want you to worry about him so much._

"Well, I can't help it. If he'd just talk to me. Instead of just ignoring me or glaring like he _hates_ me."

She bit back a smile. "Ah, well, don't take _that_ personally. Sasuke hates everyone in Konoha and Konoha itself, so that includes _you_ , you know."

He scowled. "Sakura-chan, that's not helpful at _all_."

This was starting to worry her.

"Come on, Naruto. Cheer up. Sasuke's okay, you're okay. Everything will be okay." She reached out to rest her hand on his knee. "I don't like seeing you down like this."

"Mm," he said. "Sorry, Sakura-chan."

She stood up and went back to sorting out the medical packs. "We're almost done here, and then we're going home. What can I do to cheer you up? I'll even take you for ramen, if you like." She looked over at him and saw he was trying to smile, but not quite succeeding.

It must be hard, though; Sasuke had always been his personal mission, after all! And he'd made so much progress in the three months they'd had him home. To have all that taken away…

"So, you'll just have to start again," she called out. "What did you do last time to break down those walls?"

And as soon as the question was out of her mouth, she knew that it was a _big mistake_. She turned around and he was staring at her with gleaming eyes, a smile _definitely_ starting to appear on his face.

"Sakura," he said. "You know _exactly_ what I did."

"Oh my god, forget I asked anything, I can't hear about this stuff again…" She started stuffing bandages into bags every quickly.

"Yes, well," Naruto said, and she could hear the smirk in his voice. "Nothing breaks down walls like mutual orgas-"

"Naruto!" she screeched. "There are _children_ around here!"

"You asked!" he said, laughing at her.

"I take it back!" she cried. "I take it back 100%! I don't want to hear about this!"

"Hmm, so that's what you think I should do, huh…" he said.

Of course, Sai chose that moment to join them. "Do what?" he said, peering into the tent.

"Nothing!" she hissed at him.

"Sakura's giving me some great advice," Naruto said, grinning. Well, at least she'd succeeded in snapping him out of his bad mood, that was something, at least.

"I see you're feeling better," Sai commented, coming all the way into the tent. "That must have been some very valuable advice."

"Oh yes," Naruto told him. "She told me that I should-"

"Naruto!" she screeched again. "And that is not what I'm saying! If you want to be friends with Sasuke, that is the last thing you should be doing!"

"Oh, advice about friendship?" Sai said. "I read a book once-"

Sakura groaned. "Sai, _don't,_ please." She turned to Naruto. "You keep saying you want to be friends with Sasuke. Proper friends. So don't complicate it, and don't pressure him into talking to you if he doesn't want to. Just let it be."

"Hmm," Naruto said, leaning back in his chair and frowning. "You know, that doesn't sound as fun as your first suggestion. Hey, so, is there such thing as a friendly blowj-"

"NARUTO! Stop talking, NOW!" Sakura blushed scarlet and prayed there wasn't anyone standing near the tent listening.

Naruto smirked at her red face.

"Is there?" Sai asked, looking at them both in curiosity.

Sakura wanted to bury her face in her hands and die.

"This conversation is _over_ ," she moaned. "And I don't know why you're both looking at me like I'm an expert at sleeping with friends. Can we please just finish this mission and go home?"

Naruto actually giggled. "Sorry, Sakura-chan, we'll stop now!"

"Sai, are we almost done?"

Sai crossed his arms over his chest and smiled at her. "Yes, if you're done in here. And if we can tear the children away from Naruto's clones."

"Great," she said, closing the last of the medical packs. "Let's just get home and forget this conversation _ever happened_."

 _And I hope I can forget soon_ , she thought; she had to face Sasuke at a training session tonight and she really didn't want any of Naruto's stories running through her mind at the time.

Luckily, she had arranged reinforcements for tonight.

* * *

Sasuke stared at Sakura from across the training room floor. Sakura stared back, her gaze steady and calm.

"You can't be serious," Sasuke said, his expression blank.

"I am very serious," Sakura said back.

"This is the worst idea I have ever heard," Sasuke went on.

"It is a great idea," Sakura argued, "and you're doing it whether you agree with me or not."

"Oh, come on, Sasuke-kun!" said Rock Lee. "With our combined energies, we'll have you back to full strength in no time!"

Sasuke blanched. "Sakura," he said, a slight pleading tone coming into his voice.

Sakura couldn't help but smile at him. She took a step back and manoeuvred Lee to stand opposite him. Lee jumped from foot to foot, and looked beyond excited.

"Look, the aim for the next fortnight of training is just to get you moving your arm again. I don't want you using much chakra if you can help it. So what better than training with a taijutsu expert?"

"That's so sweet, Sakura-chan!" Lee explained. "Don't worry, I'll do my best!"

"Sakura-"

"Lee has already been through this with Naruto, so he's the best one for the job. You want to get back to normal quickly, don't you?"

"Ah, Naruto," Lee murmured. "Such youthful energy. Such passion! One could only hope to match his fine example! Why, we had such wonderful training sessions-"

"Sakura!" Sasuke implored.

She simply shook her head and walked away. "I've had a very long day, Sasuke-kun. Let's get started. Remember the restrictions I've told you about. And you _will_ stop if you feel any pain."

"But-"

"Lee, you can start now."

And with that, Lee charged at Sasuke, and Sasuke actually _squeaked_. He reached up to block Lee's attack, looking horrified.

"Very good, Sasuke-kun! Now, continue!"

Lee moved to kick him and Sasuke leapt away and out of range, rolling his left shoulder and falling into a fighting stance. When Lee approached again he struck out with his right arm, but Lee nimbly dodged him and hit Sasuke right in his stomach.

Sasuke hissed at him and kicked, this time succeeding in sending Lee several meters across the training-room floor. Lee landed neatly and looked delighted. "Yes!" he said. "Keep it up!"

The horrified, appalled expression never left Sasuke's face as he continued to hold Lee at bay, with Lee coming at him relentlessly and finally succeeding in forcing him to use both his arms together in an attack.

Sakura nodded to herself, pleased with her plan. Sasuke would be sore tomorrow, but he would feel better for having made progress. And pairing him with Lee would be good training for Sakura's other project, to get Sasuke to stop isolating himself from his Konoha friends.

"Sakura!" Sasuke shrieked at her in rage.

 _Yes, all is going according to plan_ , she thought to herself. _Very good._

And surely it wouldn't be long before Naruto saw the benefits as well, she thought, glancing up at the upper story platform, where she spied the blonde looking down on them, eyes glued to Sasuke. _You'll see. Everything's going to be fine._

* * *

 _Coming up next: Sasuke remembers the first time Naruto kissed him in the hospital. Also, the nin-ken eat takoyaki._


	9. First Kiss?

**It's Just the Uniform (Sasuke's POV)**

 _In which_ _Sasuke remembers the first time Naruto kissed him in the hospital. Also, the nin-ken eat takoyaki._

* * *

If there was one thing that made Sasuke feel better, it was knowing that _he_ hadn't started all this. Naruto was the one who'd made the first move. It was _Naruto's_ fault.

Sasuke would remind himself of this pleasing fact every time those troublesome memories would flash through his mind, every time he saw Naruto during the day and realised the idiot would probably leap at the chance to re-enact some of them, every time Sasuke realised that _he_ wanted to, too.

Yes, it was Naruto's fault; he'd started it that day when one of their (very frequent) arguments had somehow descended into a fist fight on the floor of their hospital room, and you wouldn't believe how pathetic it had been given that they only had one fist each. But that hadn't held them back from trying to tear each other apart because Sasuke had had _enough_ of looking at his stupid moronic face _every damn day_ and putting up with his constant whining and complaining, and then all of a sudden that stupid moronic boy had been kissing him, and Sasuke had _liked_ it.

That had made him _really_ angry. And Naruto had obviously really enjoyed it too because-

Oh, right. _That's_ what they'd been fighting about. Naruto had spent the whole day whining about how having lost his right arm was very inconvenient for him for _reasons_ , and why couldn't it have been the other way around because Sasuke obviously had no use for his right hand and never had. Neither Sasuke's very reasonable request to _just please shut up about your dick already_ or his helpful suggestions of what to do about it (and the suggestion to _go fuck yourself_ was especially applicable in Naruto's case) had succeeded in shutting him up.

So they'd been kissing on the hospital room floor, which when it came to the two of them was evidently just another way to fight; but the guy still wouldn't shut up so he'd stuck his hand down Naruto's pants and the shrieking sound the moron had made pleased him very much, because Sasuke was pretty sure it meant he'd _won_.

Sasuke was no expert when it came to the particulars of what to do next but he understood the general principal that friction was necessary and Naruto seemed to be enjoying himself very much.

And then unfortunately for him, Naruto had pushed Sasuke off him and then down onto the floor, straddled his hips, and proceeded to show Sasuke exactly why he'd been enjoying it so much and what Sasuke had been missing out on by ignoring every single erection he'd ever unwillingly had in his life.

Well, Naruto had won that round, and it seemed to Sasuke that the only way to protect himself was by never letting Naruto touch him ever again. That had been a great plan, in theory.

…but at least it wasn't _his_ fault, _he_ hadn't started it.

* * *

Sasuke trudged through the door of the medical centre, with the nin-ken who'd been assigned to babysit him that day trailing behind. He realised it must be _injured-in-the-war_ day at the hospital; the several dozen shinobi with lasting injuries were gathered in the waiting room for their check-ups. Sasuke saw Gai-sensei across the room in his wheelchair and hurriedly went in the other direction, slipping into Sakura's office to wait out of sight.

It occurred to him that even if he had been innocent of any crime (which he wasn't), and even if he'd had a normal life growing up in Konoha (which he hadn't), and even if he was just a regular, normal guy (which he _most definitely_ wasn't), having the last name of _Uchiha_ would have still made it difficult to stand in front of people who'd suffered so much in the war.

He didn't have to wait long before Sakura found him. "Oh, I thought I saw you," she said, opening the door. "You should just wait with the others. You really shouldn't be getting any special treatment."

She knelt down to smile at the little dog who was happily waving his tail in greeting, and she slipped him a treat from her white coat. "Hi there, Akino-chan," she cooed. "How are you today?"

 _Special treatment, huh._

He shrugged, and slipped off his shirt so that Sakura could examine him. "Shouldn't I?" he said. "I practically lived here for three months, against my will, I should add. That should come with some kind of benefit."

"I have other patients, you know," she said, grumpily. "Can't you wait your turn?"

"No," he replied. "Not unless you want me spending the whole day in your office."

Sakura frowned. "I don't think I'd enjoy that," she said.

"Neither would I," he said back.

She stood next to him and swiftly unravelled the bandages covering his left arm. The difference in skin tone, so stark on Naruto, wasn't as obvious on Sasuke; the bandages were more for support.

"I've got an idea for improving this," Sakura said, gently examining his skin. "Naruto keeps whining about it."

"It doesn't bother me," Sasuke said.

"Hmm, well," she said. "I think it could be better. Any pain? Honestly, now."

"No," he lied. "Honestly."

"And in the mornings?"

"A little stiff. But it's fine."

Sakura's hands glowed a soft green as she ran them down from his left shoulder to his fingertips. "Your chakra's still not flowing smoothly. You're very unbalanced. But we'll just have to wait and see, after a few more weeks of training."

"Otherwise?"

"Otherwise, I'll consult with Tsunade. She might have some ideas. Let's not worry about it yet."

Sakura picked up a small container of salve and started rubbing it into his skin. Sasuke could feel it pricking at his skin in a very unpleasant manner, but he put up with it, and she was soon finished and wrapping new bandages around his arm. She handed him the container.

"Start using this," she instructed. "It'll help."

"If you say so," he said.

"And I'm coming to watch your training session with Lee tonight, and then we're going out for dinner. In public."

"Must we?" Sasuke complained.

"Yes. You need to get used to people, and people need to get used to you. And while we're on the topic, maybe you could do me a favour and stop annoying Naruto. I don't have the energy to put up with that."

Well that was ridiculous. "Me, annoying _him_? Seriously?"

"Oh, you know, with the glaring, the general aura of hate, basically acting like you wish he was dead," Sakura said as she washed her hands and made to leave the room.

So he'd noticed that, huh.

"Maybe if he'd stop following me around," Sasuke said. "Get him to stop watching me all the time, and I'll stop- whatever it is that annoys him."

"I think I'm going to stop being the conduit for all your drama," she said, ushering him out the door. "Work it out yourselves."

As far as he was concerned, Naruto should just leave him alone and let him get on with his life. He was here in Konoha, what _else_ did he want?

* * *

After his check-up, he set out very reluctantly into town, trying to found a place to buy groceries. And since apparently one annoying little dog wasn't sufficient to keep an eye on him, they were soon joined by a second.

"He's lost," said Shiba to Akino.

"I am not," Sasuke murmured. Was it _his_ fault that Konoha had been completely rebuilt while he was gone?

"You could just tell us where you're trying to go," Akino said. "We're very helpful, you know."

Sasuke ignored them. He did _not_ need their help.

He kept walking, squinting at shop signs as he went. The streets were not as crowded as he remembered them being when he was a child. Of course a lot of shinobi and citizens had been lost, in the war; those shinobi that remained were on pretty high rotations to get through all the missions that needed doing.

"Well then, we'll just start spouting useful information," Akino continued. "If you're looking for clothes, go left. There's an alcohol shop around the corner. A butcher on the right. It's great. A fruit and vegetable market further down."

"I get it," Sasuke muttered. "You know where things are."

People were staring. People did that; they started staring at him from the moment he arrived in Konoha ten months ago and they hadn't stopped. They had been getting more subtle about talking about him, but they still _stared_.

In a way, it wasn't completely new for Sasuke. People had _always_ stared, whether it was at the Uchiha prodigy's younger brother, at the sole survivor of the Uchiha massacre, or at Orochimaru's favourite pet. People had always talked about him. And yet, there was never anything positive about _these_ stares; nothing redeeming. Only fear, distrust, and disapproval. Ignoring it was exhausting.

He kept walking, keeping his eyes down low. It took him a few minutes to notice the dogs were no longer with him. He paused, and turned around.

They were sitting on the sidewalk, staring intently into a little shop, tails wagging.

"You guys are terrible at your job," he told them when he walked back to see what they were staring at.

"Sasuke," they said. "Buy us some takoyaki."

He scoffed. "No," he said.

"We weren't asking," Shiba said.

He scoffed again. "You can't make me buy you food."

"We'll tell," Akino said.

"And?"

"Come on," they whined, looking up at him with literal puppy-dog eyes.

He sighed, and fished out some change from his pocket. "You mutts owe me one," he muttered.

At least when they were eating, they weren't yapping. Sasuke sat under a tree and watched them eat their takoyaki. He made a mental note to tell Suigetsu about this apparent favourite of theirs; he kept trying to bribe them, but hadn't had much success.

He glanced across the street to a loud and busy construction site. There was a lot of re-construction still needed in Konoha, and nowhere near enough people to do it. Sasuke guessed that was the reason why this particular construction site appeared to have hired the moron's clones as workers.

They were swarming all over the place and god, they were _loud_.

"The clones are useless at actually _building_ things," the dogs commented. "They mostly just move stuff around."

Surely it wouldn't even be worth it. At this particular moment, the clones didn't seem to be doing any actual work, and instead were having an unnecessarily profane argument, about (as far as he could tell) the best way to get rid of all the rubbish. Sasuke found it oddly compelling, watching half a dozen Narutos scream and yell at each other, and then proceed to settle their differences with their fists.

"Back in summer, they used to do this topless," Shiba said, exchanging a cheeky grin with Akino. "But Sakura made him stop. It was very distracting for the female population."

It had taken a while, but Sasuke had gotten used to seeing such expressions as _cheeky grins_ on the dog's faces, but it was still definitely _bizarre_.

Sasuke turned back to the construction site, and tried to imagine the clones wresting each other without any shirts on. …and then he pushed the thought as far back into the corners of his mind as he could and vowed to never think of it again.

He stood up abruptly and brushed the dirt off the back of his pants. "Are you mutts finished?" he demanded.

"We're finished," Shiba said, "but have you decided where you're going? Remember, you have to be at the hospital in an hour."

Sasuke growled under his breath. These dogs really tested his patience. "Vegetables," he eventually said. "I want to buy vegetables."

"Well, in that case," Akino said, "go left down the main street, heading towards the Hokage tower."

He stalked off, and the little dogs hurriedly followed behind him.

He'd finally succeeded in completing the very simple task of buying groceries, and it was annoying how much this pleased him. He headed back down the main road in the direction of his apartment. This was an odd sort of life, but it had been years before he'd really lived any kind of 'normal' life. He wondered when, or if, it would start to _feel_ normal. Going to work every day. Training. Deciding whether to buy cabbage or lettuce.

Sasuke paused as he walked around the corner, and the Hokage monument came into view.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Akino said from beside him.

"I still think they could have fit us up there too. We do just as much work as him," Shiba added.

For the ninja that had fought in the war, it must be strange to look up at the faces of Konoha's first four Hokage, and think that they'd met them, that they'd fought beside them. The dead just weren't staying permanently dead, these days. The afterlife was a place that just didn't seem all that far away anymore.

 _I hope you're happy_ , Sasuke spoke to the four faces in his mind, looking up at them. _I'm here, aren't I, and still working to defend this place from a threat they don't seem to even be thinking about._

Sasuke didn't mean to sound bitter about it, but he couldn't really help it. Sometimes he felt so claustrophobic inside this village, so penned in, so stared at, _so talked about_ , that it made his skin crawl.

"Hey," Shiba said, nudging his leg. "Don't just stand there in the middle of the street."

He sighed, and looked around at all the odd glances he was getting, standing on the pathway blocking traffic, staring up at the monument. He took a deep breath, and kept moving.

* * *

 _Coming up: Things happen. Finally._


	10. Can't Stand It Any More

**Can't Stand it Any More (Naruto's POV)**

 _In which things happen. Finally._

* * *

It had been four weeks since Sasuke had gotten back from- oh, god knows where he'd gone. It had been _four weeks_ , and Sasuke had barely spoken to him, barely _looked_ at him that whole time. Naruto could have ignored him right back, pretended he was still away, and yet- his presence. His chakra. He could feel it, no matter where he was and what he was doing, he knew that Sasuke was home, that he was close by.

After the war it had been a novelty; he could _constantly_ , even when he was _sleeping_ , sense that unique chakra signature, sense the little fluctuations it made over the day; it was like a tingling flitting over the surface of his skin. Of course the two of them had been stuck in the same hospital room for almost three months, so really, the tingling- was it the chakra, or just the sight of him?

Naruto didn't know, but he'd had to do without it for the half a year the bastard had been away. On officially sanctioned duties, Kakashi had kept saying, he's doing important work, _stop bothering me about it Naruto_ , he'd say. Now he was back. There were traces of him all over town. When he'd come home today after a mission it had hit him like a brick wall.

 _Screw it_ , Naruto thought. _Forget him, if he wants to ignore me_.

So tonight he was out with Kiba's team and they were going to celebrate a completed mission and he'd shove all that tingling and confusion and frustration with Sasuke aside for just a few short hours.

 _I can do that much, at least. Get your head in the game. Forget him._

And so.

"You promised we'd get ramen-" he whined, latching on to Kiba's arm. He was _hungry_. "Let's go to Ichi-"

"I'm not eating any more bloody ramen!" Kiba snapped, shoving him off. "For four days, cup ramen, cup ramen, even for Akamaru!"

He made it sound like that was a _bad_ thing. "He liked it," Naruto said with a pout. "And you put me in charge of food-"

"Never again!"

"Kiba," Shino chimed in. "It saved us 80% on our expenses."

"Ha, see! Cup ramen's the best!" Naruto crowed. That Shino. Good guy. Underrated.

Kiba scowled. "And now we're spending that 80% on booze. Come on…"

Naruto pouted and fell in line behind him, as they weaved through the crowd. He didn't point out that he still hasn't had his birthday, even though the rest of the rookie nine had already turned eighteen. It wouldn't be a problem, though; there wasn't any bar in town that wouldn't serve him. (Being a hero had its perks, sometimes.)

"We can get ramen later, Naruto-kun," murmured Hinata from next to him.

"Don't make any promises!" Kiba shot back, but Hinata just gave him a look and he shut up.

Naruto couldn't help but smile at that. He loved missions with these guys. And it had become very clear to him who the real boss of this team was.

Kiba pulled them into a random bar and ordered drinks. It wasn't crowded, but there was music, and Naruto saw a lot of familiar faces; Chouji was there, and Tenten too, and everyone smiled at him when they saw him. It was nice. Shino gave him a beer and that was nice too.

They settled down on some couches in the middle of the room, Chouji and Tenten joining them and chatting about their own missions. Hmm but, something wasn't quite right…

Naruto had barely finished his drink when it hit him. He could feel that bastard's presence all over town so he hadn't even noticed that- he looked around the room and there he was. Oh, of _course_ he was. Of course he was there, in this bar, on this night. Sitting there in a shadowy corner with Sakura and Ino, propped up against the wall and looking like he had every right to be there.

Seriously though. This was his night off.

"Hey Naruto, want another?" Chouji asked him.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," he replied, wrenching his eyes away from the corner.

He frowned and tried to clear his head. _Ignore him. He's ignoring ME._ He tried to focus on whatever was going on around him. What were they talking about? Oh, right, the mission.

"So this is the third mission in a row he's found an excuse to use that damn jutsu of his-" Kiba was saying, and Naruto felt his cheeks flush a little.

Everyone laughed at that and he frowned. "Hey, it's got a 100% success rating-"

"-at getting us cheaper accommodation." Shino butted in, in his monotone voice, to rapturous laughter.

Naruto shrugged and laughed too, and started his second drink; he felt relieved when the conversation moved on to other, non- _him_ related subjects. The beer was nice and cool, but he was still starting to feel a little over-heated.

The crowd around him parted for a moment and Naruto could see back into the corner. He couldn't help but stare. Oh, it was just friendly concern. Nothing more than that. He hadn't realized Sasuke had been hanging around with actual people, out in the real world. And honestly, he hadn't had his new arm for that long, only three weeks? Should he really be out in a _bar_? _Drinking_?

Naruto frowned. Well, he looked okay. Actually he looked really good. What was that shirt he was wearing? White, a high collar, falling slightly open at the front. Was he wearing that on purpose? It looked way too much like-

And then Sasuke turned his head and was staring right back at him. Naruto sputtered and choked on his drink, and quickly turned away, sinking into the back of the couch and hoping to die.

Ugh, god, that shirt. It was just like that number he used to wear back _then_. With that ridiculous ass-bow. The one that Naruto couldn't stop dreaming about; dreaming about untying as if Sasuke was a present just for him. _Fuck_ , it was the stupidest, lamest, most embarrassing fantasy anyone had ever had EVER, and yet it had him waking up every morning harder than when he'd been thirteen years old and first discovered what all his parts were for.

His face was burning. He worked on finishing his drink as a distraction and hoped he wasn't broadcasting his thoughts to the whole world. _Just drink more, that'll help_. He didn't need to worry about getting drunk; that was pretty much impossible for him, apparently. The most he'd ever managed to achieve was slightly buzzed.

Was the bastard still staring at him? _Damn, he is_. Naruto felt his face flush even hotter as he stared right back across the room into the shadows. Well…Sasuke wasn't staring so much as _glaring_. That narrow-eyed look of rage at the mere fact of Naruto's existence. Naruto shifted and felt the slightest hint of- _ah, stop that right now!_ He told himself. _Dammit, we're in public_.

 _Ignore him. IGNORE him._ Yes, just ignore the memories flitting through his mind. Sasuke glaring at him one minute, kissing him the next, pushing up against him- _ah, no, stop it stop it stop it._

Naruto sighed and did his best to re-join the conversation.

"Hey, about the ramen-" he began.

"Shut up about the damn ramen!" Kiba snapped back, and Naruto managed a shaky grin.

Someone gave him a third drink and he cheered the end of the mission with the team. Okay, this was better, this was it, hanging with his friends and chatting about work, as if life in Konoha was getting back to normal. Or maybe creating a new kind of normal.

Yes, he was doing well, keeping his head in the game until-

 _Oh, screw you, jerk._

Sasuke walked right passed them, sauntering passed on the way out of the bar, and disappeared out into the night. But not without flashing him a _look_.

"He's getting used to the arm," someone said next to him.

"Huh, what?" Naruto said, and turned to see Shino and Hinata looking at him.

"He'll have caught up with you soon, Naruto-kun," Hinata said.

Had he been caught staring? "Oh, ah- yeah. Well no, as if!" he replied, laughing. "As if that would ever happen."

He forced himself to take another drink and stop staring at the door Sasuke had disappeared through. _Focus. Focus on the conversation…_

He lasted four minutes.

"Uh, guys, I'll see you tomorrow, I'm really tired," he said as he pushed himself up off the couch and toward the exit.

"Naruto-" came calls of protest from behind him but he ignored them all and rushed out the door.

* * *

It was instantly cooler outside and once Naruto had left the bar behind him he stopped and took a breath. _God. Just calm down, you loser. It was just a look._

After a moment he started walking again, not sure where he was going, just walking, skin still tingling. There was a full moon illuminating the path and it got quieter the further away he got from the bar district. He took some more deep breaths as he walked and tried to get the images of that stupid ass-bow out of his mind. _No one should look attractive in something like that, honestly._

Pausing for a moment beside some buildings, he shoved his hands in his pockets and signed. Ah, well, it's not like he was hurting anyone by thinking about it, he thought with a smile. And it certainly did him a _lot_ of good. If Sasuke was going to pretend he didn't exist, then he was damn well going to-

And then he felt the wind knocked out of him as he was shoved _hard_ against the wall.

"Hey, what the _hell_ -"

"Why are you following me?" Sasuke hissed, his knee digging hard into Naruto's stomach. "Can't I get just one night off from you watching me all the damn time?!"

"Sasuke, what the _hell_?" Naruto hissed back. "As if I was following you!"

"As if you weren't!" Sasuke spat, a level-10 death glare plastered on his face.

Yes, Naruto had assigned them levels. The hospital had gotten pretty boring.

He tried to shift against the wall but he was being properly pinned down. "Get your knee out of my intestines, bastard. I swear to god I didn't even know you were at that damn bar-"

Sasuke gave a short little laugh at that and scowled at him. "Who are you trying to fool, moron?"

Naruto succeeded in shoving Sasuke's knee off him but couldn't quite escape him entirely. He frowned, and stared back at Sasuke's face. What was this, some kind of game? Ignore him for four weeks, then give him _that_ look as he left the bar, he _knew_ that look, knew what it meant- Sasuke had clearly been _summoning_ him, and he'd followed- but now this?

Well, if that's the way he wanted to play.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto licked his lips and then manoeuvred his hands down to Sasuke's waist, pulling him closer. The move from shoving him off to dragging him in clearly threw him off and Sasuke stumbled, hissing, as Naruto tightened his grip around his hips.

"Naruto, let me go-"

He grinned. "You're the one who pinned me against the wall. If you wanted to see me, you just had to _ask_." He curled his arms further around his back.

Sasuke scowled and tried harder to twist away from him, but Naruto had a good grip on his waist now.

"Did you miss me?" Naruto said. "I've only been gone for four days…" He smirked when he saw the faintest hints of pink appearing on the other's face.

"Four days wasn't long enough," Sasuke said, glowering at him.

"Hmm. That's cold, Sasuke…" Naruto said back. He reached up to brush back the hair from Sasuke's face. He _loved_ Sasuke's hair. He traced a finger back to his left ear, brushing it down the outside very-so-gently.

With only one of Naruto's arms around him now, Sasuke could have easily gotten away. Well, actually, he could have exploded Konoha and escaped at any time he wanted, but that was irrelevant. He didn't move. And when Naruto continued tracing his finger down his jawline and throat, he still didn't move.

"I'm not afraid to admit it, you know," he murmured, leaning into Sasuke's neck. " _I_ missed you." _Let's see just how far I can push this_.

When Sasuke shivered ever so slightly against him he felt a thrill of anticipation spike through his whole body. So, this was the game they were playing. Fine, he was in. All the way.

"Naruto," Sasuke breathed, and Naruto tensed. "We said…"

"We said?" he repeated. He placed a light, chaste kiss against Sasuke's throat.

"You promised," Sasuke said back. Naruto bit at his neck and Sasuke let out a quick gasp. "You said we'd stop."

Naruto sighed, and let both arms fall to his side. What, they were going to talk about it now? After four weeks, _now_ they were going to talk about it?

Sasuke took a step back, and tugged his shirt back into place.

"Do you want me to stop?" Naruto asked, staring at his feet. "I don't see why you get to make all the rules."

"Rules?" Sasuke scoffed.

 _Yes, rules, you bastard, whatever YOU'VE decided about the way we're meant to act around each other-_

"I didn't complain back then, when you said we should stop, did I? I didn't complain when you said you were leaving Konoha, you made it very clear I had no choice in the matter-"

"You _didn't_ ," Sasuke interrupted.

He sighed again, and brushed his hands through his hair and over his eyes, taking a few deep breaths.

"Well," he began, looking back up. "If that's what you want-"

But that's as far as he got, because all of a sudden Sasuke was kissing him. _Hard._

Naruto was thrust back against the wall and he gave out a quick gasp of surprise, but it was quickly swallowed up with Sasuke's mouth on his, and then Sasuke was licking and biting at his bottom lip, and he couldn't even _move_ because Sasuke was gripping his face with his hands and pushing into his chest-

He gasped again when he felt Sasuke's hands snake around his back and under his shirt. "Sasuke," he breathed, twisting his face away and panting, "what are you _doing_?"

"Shut up, moron," Sasuke shot at him.

"God, your bloody mood swings!"

If this was what Sasuke wanted, then _fine_ , this is what he was going to _get_. Naruto reached up to wrap his arms around Sasuke's neck, pulling his mouth back down on his own. He moaned against him, he'd _missed_ this, he was burning up and melting into him-

Then there were voices down the road and Sasuke shoved himself away from Naruto and took a few steps back. Naruto panted and leaned against the wall, shaking.

The voices didn't get any closer and faded out into the night. Naruto reached up and felt blood against his lower lip. _He really likes to play rough, huh_ , he thought. He laughed, softly, wiping the blood away and then running his tongue over his thumb to lick it off. And when he caught Sasuke watching him intently, he took his time.

"Well," he finally said. "That was pleasant-"

"Naruto," Sasuke interrupted. "Your place is just around the corner, right?"

Naruto choked and coughed. "Uh," he said. "Um, yeah, just a few minutes-"

Sasuke nodded and started walking. _Fast._

 _Shit_ , Naruto thought. _His bloody mood swings!_

* * *

 _Coming up next: Things continue to happen. And Sasuke clearly likes it._


	11. Can't Stand It Any More, Part II

***NSFW WARNING**

 **Breaking (Naruto's POV)**

 _In which things continue to happen. And Sasuke continues to like it._

* * *

They crashed against his front door grasping and pulling at each other's clothes, having reached his apartment in record time, and Naruto fumbled behind them to push the door open and flick on the lights. This was a new place and Sasuke had never been inside, but that didn't stop him from pulling Naruto straight in the direction of the bed across the room the second they were inside.

Naruto laughed and wrenched his hand away. "Just hang on," he said, "let me close the damn door!"

He did so but then found himself pinned back against it by a very impatient Sasuke, his arms resting on the wall on either side of his head, and kissing him hard. Naruto growled and tried to squirm free; he'd had quite enough of being pinned against things by this guy! He opened his mouth to protest and Sasuke responded by shoving his tongue down his throat and pushing up harder against him. Naruto gasped and twisted his face away, determined to regain control of this situation. _Slow down, bastard!_ He marvelled at the way Sasuke could go from _I hate you, Naruto,_ to _we're doing this NOW, Naruto,_ in ten seconds flat.

He snaked his arms around Sasuke's back, reaching up for his shoulders and pulling him back down for a kiss, soft, just barely nipping at his lips before angling away again. Breathing deep, he nuzzled at Sasuke's cheeks and nose and then rolled his hips forward and grinned when Sasuke gasped in surprise. He reached down passed Sasuke's waist, grinding his hips into him until he had him groaning, his breath heavy and hot against Naruto's skin. And when he felt Sasuke responding, felt him pressing back insistently and getting hard, Naruto brushed his hands lower, gripped tight and lifted him up right off the ground, throwing Sasuke over his shoulder before stalking resolutely towards the bed.

Sasuke literally _shrieked_ in protest at this, lashing out and tearing at his skin. "Put me down right fucking _now_ , Naruto!" he yelled, kicking at any part of Naruto he could reach.

But they arrived at the bed in no time and Naruto quickly deposited the shrieking Sasuke onto it with a smirk and a shrug. Though Naruto still couldn't quite believe this was happening, he was determined to enjoy it while it lasted. He slipped out of his jacket and threw it on the floor before sliding onto the bed and straddling Sasuke's hips, pushing him down into the mattress.

Sasuke was having none of that. He pushed his hands up into Naruto's chest, keeping him at arm's length, and scowled. "The next time you do that I'll rip your balls off," he hissed, a ferocious gleam taking over his eyes.

Naruto laughed at that; he sat back on his heels and gripped Sasuke's hands where they grabbed at his shirt, holding them in place. He could feel Sasuke getting even harder under him and his skin was flushed and warm. "Wouldn't you miss them?" Naruto said with a grin. "I'd hate to deprive you of anything."

Sasuke's scowl deepened and he wrenched his hands free. "Idiot," he hissed, "could you be any more full of yourself?!"

"Absolutely!" Naruto replied happily. He rolled his hips downward and Sasuke moaned. The sound sent shivers running right up Naruto's spine.

Sasuke wrenched Naruto back down on top of him, wrapping his arms tight around his neck and kissing him with determination. Naruto leaned into the kiss, moaning back as Sasuke sucked firmly on his bottom lip, bitting hard at where, only a short time ago, he'd actually drawn blood. The bastard kissed him as aggressively as they fought. Naruto _loved_ it.

He trailed kisses down Sasuke's jaw, nipping and nibbling as he did so. He found a spot against his throat and bit down, resolving to leave some marks of his own. Sasuke's whole body tensed up under him. The bright red blood against that pale white skin drove Naruto wild, and he bit again.

Sasuke snaked his hands up under Naruto's shirt and pulled him tighter against his chest, and Naruto moved to run his hands up and down Sasuke's thighs through the rough fabric of his pants. And suddenly an image flashed through his mind, of Sasuke wrapped around him, panting and heaving and gripping him tight, and he couldn't help but laugh, a thought coming to him. "Sasuke," he breathed, "think of all the things I could do to you now with two hands!"

Sasuke growled into his ear. "Shut _up_ , Naruto!" His fingernails scratched deep scores of searing pain down Naruto's back, making him moan and pant.

" _God_ , you're determined to hurt me, aren't you?" he breathed into Sasuke's neck, licking the spot he'd been biting and then blowing over it. Sasuke shivered, grinding his hips up against Naruto's with a delicious friction.

"Do I need to gag you before you'll shut up?!" Sasuke said, eyes flashing.

"Better not," Naruto replied, "I might like it."

Sasuke let out a groan and then in a sudden movement, wrapped his legs around Naruto's waist, arched himself up and flipped them over.

Naruto gasped at the sudden, unexpected motion and flung his arms out behind him to avoid hitting his head. Seated firmly on Naruto's chest, Sasuke tugged at that white shirt of his until it came off. Naruto sat up, causing Sasuke to slide down and grip at Naruto's arms. Sasuke pulled at Naruto's shirt until he succeeded in getting it over his head. He threw it off the bed and then, gripping tight against Naruto, pushed him back down into the mattress.

Naruto marvelled at Sasuke's skin, bringing his hands up to brush them over his shoulders, down his collarbone and chest toward his stomach. Sasuke shivered in response. Oh, he was _gorgeous_. "Mm, I could do this forever," he murmured.

"Just stop talking, moron," Sasuke hissed.

"Never," he replied.

"Then I'll find another way to shut you up," Sasuke said, reaching his arm down to rub his hand hard against the front of Naruto's pants as he kissed him.

Naruto felt instantly light-headed as all his blood migrated south _fast_. " _Fuck_ , Sasuke!" he groaned, panting and pushing himself harder against Sasuke's hand. He tugged at the top of Sasuke's own pants and had his hands swatted away.

"Don't," Sasuke hissed into his mouth. When Naruto tried to grab his hips again Sasuke gripped his wrists and pinned them down on the bed, pushing his own hips down harder as he did so. Naruto gasped and Sasuke slipped his tongue into his mouth. He could feel the deep scratches Sasuke had left down his back as a sweet burn against his skin. They'd heal themselves in no time but for now they were a pleasant ache mixed with the pleasure.

God _damn_ , how had he gone so long without this? When he felt how hard Sasuke was up against him he shuddered and tried again to free his arms, but Sasuke held him down securely. His pants were painfully tight and he'd wished he'd had to foresight to remove them before Sasuke decided to pin him down. With Sasuke straddling him he couldn't move his legs either, and that wouldn't do at all.

He bit down on Sasuke's lower lip, drawing blood and causing the other to yelp in protest, and in that instant Naruto flipped them over again, unbuttoned his pants and slipped them off and onto the floor. He brushed his hands down passed Sasuke's hips and legs, wrapping them tight around his waist. He groaned into his throat.

"Naruto…" Sasuke moaned against him, the sound like ambrosia to his ears, and he thrust his hips down harder, the friction building faster and faster. He ran his hands over Sasuke's chest and then bent down to suck and bite at the bare skin; he quickly drew down Sasuke's zip and loosened his pants enough to reach down and rub against him.

Sasuke tangled his hands through his hair as he thrust back up to meet Naruto's hands and hips, panting and gasping. "… _yes_ …" he hissed.

Naruto ran his tongue around one nipple and then the other, and looked up to see Sasuke's eyes squeezed shut and him biting his lower lip. He groaned as Sasuke wrapped his legs tighter around his waist and arched his back up off the bed.

This was going too fast. Naruto wanted _more_ , he wanted all of Sasuke, to taste every part of his skin; but he knew that the bastard would not let him have it and would not want to wait any longer than necessary to get what _he_ wanted, which was to get off right _now_ , hard and fast, no messing around. He was just as self-centred and demanding in this as he was with everything else.

But with Sasuke panting against him and making those noises, he wouldn't last long either. He trembled and felt like he was getting close- _ah, not yet_! He let go of Sasuke's hips and shifted away, which no, was not what Sasuke wanted at _all_.

"Don't you _dare_ ," Sasuke crooned into his ear, and he moved his hands down to Naruto's hips, sliding them under the fabric of his boxers, moving back and forth until he gained control of their momentum, bringing them together in shorter and harder bursts.

Naruto whimpered and buried his face against Sasuke's throat. "Sasuke," he croaked. "I can't wait any longer-"

"Then _don't_ ," the other said back. "Haven't you missed me?"

God, _yes_. But he wanted- he wanted _more_ , why wouldn't Sasuke let him-

Sasuke groaned and pulled Naruto's face to his, and his movements became jagged, his breathing harsh and short. His eyes were hazy and glazed over, unfocussed. " _Naruto_ ," he cried into his ear, "Naruto, _yes_ …" Sasuke arched up against his chest, legs gripping Naruto even tighter and hands digging into his skin hard enough to bruise, and as Naruto watched as he came completely undone underneath him.

That did it; Naruto came too with the sounds of Sasuke's moans ringing in his ears and his hands tangled in his hair, their bodies shaking and trembling. For that long moment the world around him blurred, and all went white. He panted and fell hard, coming crashing down to rest on Sasuke's chest.

He closed his eyes and tried to breathe. In, out. Again. He melted against Sasuke's skin, trembling, all energy gone.

"Mm…S'ske…" he murmured, between pants. "That was…nice…"

That was _very_ nice. He felt Sasuke's chest rise and fall under him as his breathing too slowed. Naruto nuzzled into Sasuke's soft, warm skin as he lay against him.

Sasuke breathed out heavily, his hands running lazily through Naruto's hair, and stroking the back of his neck down to his shoulders. Naruto shifted and glanced up to stare at him. His eyes were still hazy and unfocused, staring up at the roof.

"Sasuke?" he asked, reaching up to gently touch his cheek.

 _Shit_ , he thought. _So which Sasuke am I getting? Oddly-affectionate Sasuke? Touch-me-again-and-I'll-kill-you Sasuke?_ Naruto had seen many different versions of post-orgasm Sasuke in the hospital, and was 100% useless at predicting which one he was going to get.

"Hmm," Sasuke finally murmured, hands still tracing absent-mindedly over Naruto's skin, eyes trained on something above them. "I really…had no intention of ever doing that again," he said.

Naruto sighed; pulling his hand away he rolled over and off Sasuke's chest and slid away from him, trying to subtly clean himself off as he went. So, _I've-wounded-my-pride Sasuke_ it was.

"You were the one who wanted me to follow you out of the bar," he murmured grouchily into the sheets.

"That again?!" Sasuke snapped, sitting up and pushing himself off the bed. Naruto winced at the sudden loud tone. "The only thing I wanted was to get away from you staring at me!"

"You were staring at _me_ ," he sulked. When he looked over Sasuke had grabbed his shirt from the floor and was glaring daggers at him.

Damn, was that a level _11_ death glare?

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to hang on to the last bit of warm fuzziness left in him. _Ahh_ , he thought. _That escalated quickly. …maybe I shouldn't have said that. Even though it's true._

By the time he opened his eyes again, Sasuke had finished putting his clothes back on and had tidied himself up, and was glaring at Naruto, lips parted like he had something to say.

"Look," Naruto said, getting in first. "If you're gonna blame me, just- just don't even bother, just _go_ -"

"Moron," he interrupted. "We agreed-"

"No, _you_ said we were stopping," Naruto growled, "even though _I_ said- and I don't see why-"

"I'm sure you _can't_ see," Sasuke shot back.

Naruto just sighed and looked away. "You really know how to kill a mood, bastard."

"Naruto-" Sasuke began to say.

"Don't," he interrupted.

"I just meant that-"

"Doesn't matter. It's fine."

"Naruto!"

He scowled and glared over at Sasuke's stupid face.

Hmm. Sasuke wasn't glaring. That was a change.

"I'm going now," he said.

 _Bastard_ , he thought. _There's no way you can say you didn't love that._

Naruto turned his head back around and buried it in his pillows. Yeah, he knew he was sulking, but Sasuke started it, dammit. He heard Sasuke sigh, and leave the room.

 _Oh well,_ Naruto thought as he curled up on the bed. _Something new to dream about, I suppose._

* * *

 _Coming up next:_ _Sasuke is pretty sure someone's designed his life just to punish him. And he's pretty sure he deserves it._


	12. Remorse

**Remorse (Sasuke's POV)**

 _In which Sasuke is pretty sure someone's designed his life just to punish him. And he's pretty sure he deserves it._

* * *

Sasuke woke in a _very_ bad mood; a mood that only worsened when he looked in the mirror and saw the bites and bruises all down his neck and collarbone, standing out stark against his paler-than-usual skin. _…shit._

So, he was tired, he was angry, and now he was _marked_ , and he needed to be at work in twenty minutes. He hadn't gotten any sleep last night and his head was killing him. _This is a punishment,_ he thought to himself. _I'm being punished._

There were three choices. Show up for work like this. Stay in his apartment for the rest of his life until he _died_. Or ask for help.

He sighed, got dressed, and dragged himself next door.

"Sakura…" he called out, knocking. "Have you left yet…" He was glad that they lived on the top floor, so he didn't have to worry about neighbours walking passed and spotting him.

Sakura opened the door. "Sasuke-kun, good morn- oh. Good _morning_ ," she said, with a grin when she saw him.

He sighed again. "Just- don't say anything. Please," he begged, holding a hand against his aching head.

It seemed she was struggling not to laugh, damn her. Sasuke knew very well that she was fully aware of everything that had happened in the hospital, and would know exactly what he'd been up to the previous night.

"Have a good night, did you?" she asked. "I was wondering why you got home so late."

"Sakura-"

"It's been, what, four weeks since you got back? So at least you held out longer than last time," she continued. "Good job, Sasuke-kun."

This was it. This is how he was going to die, of sheer embarrassment, in the middle of the hallway.

" _Sakura_ ," he said again.

"Say please," she commanded, in a sing-song voice.

" _Please_."

She nodded. "Now, don't think I approve of your behaviour," she said, as she brought her hands up to his neck and quickly healed the marks. "Honestly, Sasuke-"

"Yes, yes, I _know_ , okay?"

She took her hands away and Sasuke reached up to see that all the bruises were done. Damn that idiot. He frowned.

"…thanks," he said.

"Don't mention it," she said. "But seriously though, _don't_. I don't wanna know."

"Works for me," he said, shrugging. He walked down the hall and waved at her, absent-mindedly.

"Will this be a regular thing?" she called after him.

"God, _no_ ," he hissed. It was a momentary lapse in judgement. Taking care of a need. A _mistake_. And judging by the look of anger on Naruto's face last night when he left, Sasuke wouldn't need to worry about it again for a while.

* * *

When you spent all day working with Juugo, you had to get used to animals. Today it was a very small, but very chirpy little red bird, jumping up and down on Juugo's shoulder.

"And then what happened?" Suigetsu asked Juugo.

"His wife said the nest wasn't big enough," Juugo said. "So he had to start all over again-"

Sasuke slammed the files he was working on onto the table. "Can we _please_ get back to work?" he said. He refused to spend yet another day listening to the latest gossip of the local wildlife population.

They all stared at him, and the little bird twittered in annoyance.

Good lord. Was he the only professional in this room? "Look, we're very close to finishing up on the western base, can we lose the bird, _please_?"

"I for one would like to hear the end of the story," said Pakkun from the floor.

"It doesn't have a happy ending," Juugo said.

Sasuke growled.

"Hey, Sasuke, chill," Suigetsu said. "We can't finish until we find out if that civilian gang is still hanging out in the area, right? So we have to wait anyway-"

He stood abruptly and pushed his chair away. He was _not_ in the mood for this.

"Take a break," he hissed at them all as he stalked out of the room. "I'll just do it all myself, as usual!"

"He needs to get laid," he heard Suigetsu say as he left the room.

* * *

Sakura may have healed all the marks (which he had checked, repeatedly, each time he'd passed a mirror that day), but Sasuke could still feel them on his skin as clearly as when the moron had made them, like little bolts of electricity biting right through him.

 _I should not have let him do that_ , Sasuke thought to himself as he climbed the stairs. _So undignified._ And now it seemed he was stuck with the scenes from last night on repeat in his head, an echoing laugh in his ears, and an ache in his left arm that he was doing his best to ignore.

 _I shouldn't have let MYSELF do that._

He reached the top floor of the tower and slipped passed the Hokage's office to enter to room across the hall- the mission room, they called it.

"Shikamaru," he asked. "Has Ino's team finished their mission report yet?"

Shikamaru was standing near the doorway gazing into the hallway. He glanced at Sasuke and nodded.

"But it's not good news for you," he murmured in a low voice. "I was going to get her to run you through it later."

"What happened?" Sasuke asked.

He shrugged. "Don't worry about that now. This is even worse." He nodded in the direction of the Hokage's office. "Listen to this."

The door to Kakashi's office was standing open, and looking through it Sasuke could see Kiba's team standing in front of his desk. Naruto was there, as well. _Of course he is_. Sasuke stifled a groan. He really didn't want to see him today.

"What's the problem?" he asked Shikamaru.

"Just listen."

He walked closer to Kakashi's door and listened in to Kiba giving a report.

"We knew they had shinobi weapons, so we figured we'd retrieve them. And there weren't that many people in the group so it shouldn't have been a problem."

"None of you sensed any chakra at all?" Kakashi asked.

Kiba shook his head, as did Akamaru, standing next to him.

"Hinata? Not even you?"

"N-no," she said. "They all seemed like civilians. The nearest ninja group was hours away."

"Hmm." Kakashi leant back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. Then he caught sight of Sasuke beyond the door and sat up straight. "Sasuke," he called, waving him in. "Good timing. Come and hear this."

He tensed. _Damn._

With extreme reluctance, he went into the room and very carefully avoided meeting Naruto's eyes. _Just ignore him._

"Start again," Kakashi said to Kiba.

"Right, well," Kiba said. "One of the clones caught sight of a civilian group on our way back home yesterday. At least we thought they were civilians. They had gotten hold of some really dangerous weapons, so we decided to take care of them before we came back. But when we attacked, we realized there were chakra users amongst them. Or- something."

"Shinobi?" Sasuke murmured.

Kiba shrugged. "We didn't sense any chakra on them before. And that's kind-of our specialty," he said, glancing around at Shino and Hinata. "But anyway, we had Naruto with us so it wasn't a problem in the end. It took maybe, two minutes and then it was over. No injuries."

"And what happened after that?" Kakashi prompted.

"The chakra went away as quickly as it appeared. There wasn't any trace of it. But we rounded them all up anyway and dropped them off at the prison on the way home. Just to be sure."

"Sasuke," Kakashi said when Kiba was finished. "Chaka suppression experts in the western districts. Any thoughts?"

Sasuke frowned, and glanced over at Naruto. He couldn't help it. He really didn't want to be talking about this in front of _him_. He really didn't want to be talking about this at all.

Naruto was gazing back at him with a passive, unreadable expression. That was surprising. When the idiot's gaze lowered to stare at Sasuke's neck, he stiffened and turned away.

"Tell me exactly where you were," he said to Kiba.

"20 kilometres west of here. Dead west, up in the hills. There's a civilian village next to a lake. They call it Drake Town."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and exchanged a glance with Kakashi.

"Kiba," Kakashi said. "Write a description of the whole group in your report, and all the weapons you recovered. Make sure your team agrees with the descriptions."

Kiba nodded. "Sure thing," he said.

"Okay, that'll do for now," he said, dismissing them, and they all turned to go. "Ah, not you, Naruto. You stay."

Sasuke heard Naruto growl under his breath as he turned and came back to the desk. The others left the office and walked passed him into the mission room to do their report.

Not wanting to spend any more time in the same room as this guy, Sasuke turned to leave as well.

"You'll be heading out again tomorrow, Naruto," Kakashi was saying as he left.

Naruto started whining immediately, and Sasuke couldn't help but smirk. "Sensei! Tomorrow's meant to be my day off!"

"It can't be helped. Your presence has been requested by the daimyo's sister. You remember her. It's her eldest daughter's birthday ball."

Sasuke stopped walking when he heard Shikamaru snort, from where he was still standing in the doorway. "Here we go," Shikamaru muttered.

"Sensei! I refuse!" Naruto shrieked. "Those women are _scary_!"

Sasuke turned around in time to see Kakashi grin. "Yes, yes, being the most famous hero in all the land is very troublesome, but you've been invited, so you have to go. We don't want to offend anyone."

" _I'll_ be offended!" Naruto went on. "I'm not going!"

"Oh, and there's a dress-code, by the way. Here's the invitation."

"Sensei…" Naruto whined. "They were all over me last time! I barely got away with my _life_."

"You'll have to source a kimono somewhere."

"Sensei!" Naruto said again. "I'm gonna get proposed to again. Again! I _refuse_!"

"And I'm sending Sakura with you. She's more than capable of protecting you against a gang of royals."

That seemed to shut him up for a moment. "Sakura-chan?" he asked.

"Yes."

"In a kimono as well?"

"Of course."

"…fine," Naruto said with a pout. He snatched the paper out of Kakashi's hand and stalked out of the office, brushing past Sasuke and Shikamaru, the later barely holding back his amusement.

"Proposed to _again_?" Sasuke muttered, and Shikamaru nodded.

"Sakura's getting better at chasing them all off, though. It's just civilians now who don't know any better."

"Sasuke," Kakashi interrupted, coming out into the hallway. "Let's talk."

Sasuke nodded and walked back into the Hokage's office, sliding the door closed behind him.

* * *

Sasuke spent the rest of the afternoon listing every chakra suppression or manipulation expert he knew of, and then Kakashi called Juugo and Suigetsu and had them do the same. And then once they'd done that, Kakashi got curious about the bird on Juugo's head and Sasuke had to listen to that damn nest story _again_. Ugh.

He left the tower as soon as he could, actually feeling glad he had a training session with Lee to use as an excuse.

"You're full of energy today, Sasuke-kun!" Lee exclaimed with a delighted expression, after Sasuke had kicked him across the room for the tenth time. "I think we can train even harder today! Such enthusiasm!"

It wasn't _enthusiasm_ or _energy_ , it was _anger_ and _frustration_ , but in any case, Sasuke was happy to use it for something productive, and if Lee got close to getting the upper hand on him again, all he had to do with think of that stupid moron's face watching him at the bar last night, or that stupid moron following him home, or that stupid moron pushing him into the mattress. It was a very good source of motivation.

"I think Sakura-chan will let you do some other training soon, Sasuke-kun," Lee said as he reached down to help Sasuke to his feet. "You've been working so hard!"

"Hmph," he muttered back, dusting off his clothes, annoyed that the training session had once again ended with him on the floor. His new arm was definitely getting better, but in the meantime it just made him feel so unbalanced and underpowered.

"I'll see you next time, Sasuke-kun!" Lee said to him as he waved goodbye, speeding out of the training room, _probably to do some more training_ , Sasuke thought to himself.

Next time. Next time, he needed to be working on his normal attacks; he'd learned to replicate some of his usual ones with one-handed seals, but he knew he wouldn't be back up to full strength until he could use his new arm properly; he wouldn't be able to compete with _him_.

The worst thing, Sasuke thought as he left the room and walked home, was that he knew he'd left as many marks all over Naruto as Naruto had left on him, but of course they all would have healed within the hour. It was supremely unfair. _He_ didn't have to wake up with a visual reminder of how he'd given in.

Well, it wouldn't happen _again._

* * *

 _Coming up next: Sakura reveals some interesting information, dresses Naruto up in a kimono, and lectures Sasuke on putting his new arm at risk._

A/N: Does anyone else remember when Juugo was walking through the forest surrounded by birds and bunnies and butterflies like some kind of Disney princess. ...yeah, I spend WAY too much of my time thinking about it. Juugo 3 3.

Also *cough* uh, yeah, Sasuke…never again? Keep telling yourself that.


	13. Need

**Needing to be Needed (Sakura's POV)**

 _In which Sakura reveals some interesting information, dresses Naruto up in a kimono, and lectures Sasuke on putting his new arm at risk._

* * *

For the first three weeks after Naruto had dragged Sasuke back to Konoha, Sakura had been in a constant state of anxiety, waiting for Something to Happen. She didn't know what it would be, but it would be _something_ , and it _was_ going to happen. And so it did.

On that morning she'd arrived at the hospital to find a crazed and panicked Naruto barricading himself in her office. "Sakura-chan, you've got to help me! It's _bad_. It's really bad!"

 _Well, here we go then_ , she had thought, mentally preparing herself for the worst.

"He _kissed_ me, Sakura, and he doesn't even remember doing it!"

 _…oh, okay._ To be honest, it could have been worse. And she felt a lot better now, knowing that the _something_ had finally happened.

"I'll need more details, Naruto," she'd asked.

"He was having another nightmare," he said, "and I know you told me not to wake him up, and I _tried_ , I promise-"

"I'm sure you did," she said, trying to be comforting.

"I just sat next to him, and I thought, maybe he's almost awake and if I just call his name- and then he opened his eyes and sat up, and then…he-"

"Kissed you."

"Yes!"

"Did he know what he was doing?"

"That's what I was thinking, as in, who is he kissing in his mind? Is there someone he used to kiss in the middle of the night, and he thinks I'm that person?"

"But?"

"But he lay back down and closed his eyes, and he said my name. He _said_ it, Sakura-chan _. Twice._ I _know_ he did."

"But you say he doesn't remember?"

"He's not acting any differently this morning, I _swear_. I even asked if he'd had any nightmares and he shrugged it off like usual. He doesn't even know that he talks in his sleep. Don't you think he would have killed me already if he knew?!"

"Okay, okay. So what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know, Sakura, that's what I'm asking you!"

"But isn't this a good thing? You like him."

"Yeah, but I wasn't gonna do anything about it! He's a serious flight-risk, you know!

…and so he'd gone on, in his panicked state, and had decided that he would just ignore it, pretend it never happened, never act on his feelings, and not ever, _ever_ tell Sasuke what he'd done, because he would be mortified.

Based on what happened next, that decision to _never act on his feelings_ had lasted exactly 48 hours.

But to this day, neither Naruto nor Sakura had told Sasuke about that one night-time incident, and she was pretty sure he honestly didn't remember. Secrets were a troublesome thing; but Sakura knew that both her boys were keeping secrets from _her_ , and that made her feel a little less bad about keeping this one than perhaps it should.

* * *

So it turned out, Naruto looked _extremely_ good in a formal kimono. Who would have thought? Sakura pulled at the fabric at his shoulders until it fell neatly in a straight line down his back, trailing onto the floor behind him, and adjusted the wide ribbon of fabric resting on his hips.

"Sakura, this is taking too long…" Naruto whined.

She smacked him lightly on the shoulder. "No complaining! I'm the one who's giving up a weekend to come and be your guard dog," she said. "We have to _match_."

"I like that pink one better on you, Sakura-chan," he said.

"Well, I like this blue one better," she said back. She sighed as she struggled with the ties around his waist. "You'll need to wear a proper undergarment tomorrow, and we'll need to get this to stay _closed_ ," she added, flushing slightly at the sight of his bare chest where the kimono kept falling open.

"Hey, Sakura, are you blushing?" Naruto said, laughing at her.

She smacked him again. "Don't take it personally! This style just happens to suit you. As in…maybe if you wore this all the time, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world."

Naruto laughed again. "All the time? Mmm, I don't know. It's pretty comfy, but I don't think I could fight in it…"

Sakura turned around and stared into the mirror at their reflections. Yes, the blue kimonos were the right choice. These would be fine. She had to admit, it was quite a novelty getting to wear something so extravagant. The closest she'd ever come before were just simple yukatas at festivals.

"Can you actually imagine wearing these all the time, though?" Sakura said with a small smile, twisting around to look at the back.

"Let me have a go at your belt-thing, Sakura-chan," he asked, picking her up like a doll and moving her in front of him.

She yelped and swatted his hands away. "Cut it out!" she said. "And it's an _obi_. And don't bother, it's impossible. We'll book a dresser to do it for us."

"I think I can do it," he said, and when she turned around he was examining the sheet of instructions intently, his face completely serious. "You borrowed these from Tsunade, right? If _she_ can do it, so can I!"

Well, _that_ was misplaced confidence if ever she'd heard it. She twisted around so she could watch him struggling with the heavy fabric, giggling at his intense expression. And if her eyes just happened to keep glancing back to where Naruto's kimono kept falling open, well, she couldn't help that, could she?

And maybe it wouldn't be so bad, a few days away from Konoha. She hardly ever got assigned to out-of-town missions any more.

There was a quick knock at the door before it opened. "Hey, Sakura…" came Sasuke's voice.

 _Oh, no_ , she thought, as she felt Naruto tense up behind her. _This could be awkward._

"Ah, Sasuke-kun," she said as he let himself into her apartment. She'd tell him off, but since she went into his place all the time without asking, she probably couldn't get away with it.

Sasuke paused in the doorway, staring at Sakura in her kimono, and Naruto behind her playing with the half-tied bow.

"Um," he said, quickly looking away. "…what are you doing?"

She turned around to swat Naruto's hands away, and saw a dangerously grim look on his face. _Oh, dear._

"Ah, well," Sakura said, forcing a little laugh. "Naruto has this event to go to, you see-"

"Yeah, the daimyo's niece, sure, but what is all this?" he exclaimed, looking around the room at all the piles and piles of patterned silk. He reached out to examine a light pink kimono draped over her couch. "Playing dress-ups, Sakura?"

Naruto was fidgeting behind her, and Sasuke was very carefully avoiding looking at him. _Well, that answers THAT question_ , she thought; she had been wondering whether things were better or worse between them after last night.

"Just choosing colours, Sasuke," she went on, quickly. "Tsunade-sama sent her collection over. And Naruto was just trying to tie the bow, so-"

Sasuke scoffed. "Good luck with that," he said.

"Oi," Naruto said back. "As if you could do it!"

 _Oh god. Please, do not let them start fighting over something as stupid as an obi._

Naruto grumbled. "Damn thing's impossible anyway, someone should just invent a jutsu for it already…"

Sakura chocked back a giggle. What a useless, utterly unnecessary jutsu for a ninja-

"Someone already did," Sasuke said from the doorway, and she and Naruto both looked at him and shock.

"You're kidding," Sakura said. "What on earth for?"

Sasuke frowned, and looked at his feet. "How should I know? I just remember seeing it, that's all. When I was a kid."

When he was a kid…? _Oh_. His mother must have used it. Clans like the Uchiha probably did still wear kimonos, every now and then. She looked at Naruto, who was staring over at Sasuke with something akin to wonder, looking curious despite himself.

"Hey, bastard," he called out. "Are you seriously telling me you know a jutsu for making this thing work?"

" _I_ don't," Sasuke hissed back, sending a glare over Sakura's shoulder. She winced. "I'm just saying it _exists_. Why would I know how to do something like that?"

"Sasuke," Sakura interrupted. "Did you need something?"

Sasuke glared at Naruto again, but then looked away. "…no," he said, hesitating a little. "It's fine."

And then she noticed a slight twinge of pain cross his face. _Oh,_ she thought.

"I'll come and see you later," she said. "We're almost done here."

He nodded at her, gaze lingering behind her for a moment before he turned and left.

"Obi-tying jutsu," Naruto grumbled. "Why'd he even bring it up if he can't do it? Damn it, now I'm _interested_ …" He let the half-tied bow fall to the floor and stepped away from her.

She breathed a frustrated sigh, and stepped into her bedroom to slip out of the heavy silk kimono.

"What's his problem, anyway?" Naruto called out to her. "Does he always just barge into your apartment without asking?"

" _You_ do it," Sakura called back. "And at least _he_ gives a warning knock!"

She came back out and he was pouting at her.

"Well?" he said. "What did he want? I saw the look he gave you."

She shrugged. "Oh, it's probably nothing. His arm's still a little sore sometimes, if he works it too hard. He hasn't had it that long you know."

A panicked expression came over his face. "Uh, wait, what? His arm-"

Sakura couldn't help but laugh at him. "Naruto-kun," she said, walking over to help him un-tie the kimono. "What are you looking so guilty about?"

He flushed bright red. "Uh, Sakura, what kind of thing do you think could have hurt him-"

She reached out to pet his shoulder. "Calm down, Naruto, I'm sure it's fine," she said with a giggle. "Let yourself out when you're done changing, okay?" She walked over to grab her medical kit from the kitchen table, and waved to him as she opened the front door. "We're leaving first thing in the morning, so I'll see you back here at 7 on the dot, understand?"

He nodded and frowned at her as she left the room.

* * *

"Sasuke?" she called out, letting herself into his apartment.

"In here," he called back from the bathroom, in a low voice.

She walked over and peered into the room, and found him standing in front of the mirror, gingerly unwrapping the bandages from his arm, and looking at her with an immensely guilty expression on his face.

And no wonder. Even the small amount of skin she could see on his arm was alarmingly swollen and streaked with red. She dropped her bag in shock, her blood running cold. "What did you _do_?" she screeched at him, rushing over.

"Nothing!" he said back. "It just got like this all of a sudden!" He winced in pain when she snatched the bandages out of his hands.

"I knew I shouldn't have let you train every day! Sasuke, you can't be this reckless!"

"I _wasn't_ ," he claimed. "It wasn't even sore-"

She finished untying the bandages and let them fall to the floor. "Sasuke!" she yelled at him. "Do you know how hard it was to make this stupid arm for you?! How _could_ you!"

He took a step back and stared at her in shock. Then he frowned, and looked down at his feet.

"…sorry," he murmured, cheeks turning pink.

She growled and turned away from him, leaning down to retrieve her bag. She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. These idiots, these foolish reckless boys, they just think they're unbreakable! _Well, I can't work miracles if they're determined to undo them!_

"Sasuke," she growled, not looking at him. "I _told_ you you could lose the arm if you weren't careful. And you _have_ been in pain. Do you think I can't tell when you lie to me?"

"I didn't mean to let it get this bad," he said to her. "I'll be more careful. I promise."

"You'll be more than careful," she said, turning back around, still not looking at his face. She reached over to run her hands above his shoulder and down the arm, hands glowing green. She closed her eyes and bit her lip in concentration. "Don't move," she instructed.

Naruto's arm had almost gotten this bad, once; but he was more resilient, and never at such a risk of his body rejecting the new arm. Sakura breathed deep as she worked her chakra through the muscles and blood vessels. It must have been excruciatingly painful for him. _Why didn't he say anything before? Just because Naruto was there? Idiot._

She breathed out and opened her eyes. The swelling had gone down to an acceptable level, but the skin was still noticeably pink.

"Damn it, Sasuke," she grumbled, fishing out a bottle of oil from her bag and starting to apply it to his arm. "Why _now_ , when I won't be here all weekend? Maybe I shouldn't go…"

"It doesn't hurt anymore," he murmured. "-well, not as much," he corrected, when she glared at him.

"You can't train _at all_ while I'm gone," she said, and he nodded. "And this arm's going back in a sling. I'll set the nin-ken on you to supervise."

"Whatever you say," he said.

"I should get Ino to go instead," she said. "But she's not nearly as good as chasing those women away."

"It's fine," he repeated.

"I want you to get some proper sleep this weekend," she ordered.

"I will," he promised.

"…just please take better care of yourself!" she begged.

"I'll try," he said with a shrug.

She sighed. The boy didn't know the first thing about taking care of himself. _Well, you're just going to have to let us help you. Or don't let us. We're going to do it anyway._

* * *

 _Coming up next: A special chapter by the Sixth Hokage himself! Kakashi debates the existence of a bird mafia with the nin-ken, gets a visit from Sakura, and receives some bad news from Anbu._

Author's Notes:

Ummm so the idea of Naruto in a kimono really works for me, *blush*. I think it really works for Sasuke, too. Poor Sasuke. Imagine how mortified he'd be if he ever found out about kissing Naruto… *winks*.


	14. The Sixth Hokage

_Warning: I'm unleashing my inner KakaSaku fan in this chapter! If it's not your thing, just pretend it's 'teasing' or something ^_^. I'm still not sure how heavy it will get in this fic, since they're not a huge focus._

 **The Sixth Hokage (Kakashi's POV)**

 _In which Kakashi debates the existence of a bird mafia with the nin-ken, gets a visit from Sakura, and gets some very disturbing news from the Anbu._

* * *

"And so," Pakkun was saying, from where he lounged next to Kakashi on the couch. "It's almost like there's this black market for nest real estate right now. And some kind of bird mafia running it all."

"Juugo must be making that up," Kakashi said, exchanging a glance with the dogs on the floor. "It sounds ridiculous."

"Remember when there was that gang trying to control the sale of new apartments near the east wall?" said Shiba from the floor. "Maybe birds do it too."

"They're all rebuilding, just like the humans," Pakkun said with his little dog shrug.

"And they just tell him all this," Kakashi murmured. "Can you imagine being able to speak to _animals_?"

All four dogs currently in his apartment just stared at him.

"You don't count," Kakashi said, and went back to reading his book.

"Rude," Shiba muttered to Bull.

Kakashi had finally finished all the 'vitally important' work of the day and he was determined to relax, at least for a while. It wouldn't be long before the tasks in his 'you really should take care of this soon' pile became 'vitally important', after all. But there were moments, every now and then, when he could take a break.

There was a knock at his door, and Kakashi very reluctantly put his book down again. He sensed that _this_ break, at least, was over. A Hokage's job is never over…

"Kakashi-sensei?" a voice called from behind the door. "I know it's late…"

Oh, well, maybe he didn't mind so much, after all.

"Try again, Sakura," he called out, not moving.

He could hear her growl and kick the door in annoyance. "Hokage- _sama_ ," she hissed, and he grinned.

"Definitely not," he called.

"Oh, fine!" she said. " _Kakashi._ "

"It's open," he said. "Just come on in."

Pakkun looked up at him. "Behave," he muttered to Kakashi, and got swatted on the head in response. His dogs were so judgmental, sometimes.

She opened the door and glared at him. "Every time?" she said.

He shrugged. "So, what have they done now?" he asked, looking at her pale cheeks and slumping shoulders. "Aren't you leaving first thing in the morning?" He motioned for her to sit down.

"About that," she said. "Can't someone else go instead?" She settled down next to Pakkun, giving him a little pat on the head.

"On such short notice? What's wrong?"

She sighed. "I'm worried about Sasuke," she said.

"We're _all_ worried about Sasuke," he said back. And what an understatement _that_ was. Managing the kid was a full-time job, on top of the half-dozen jobs he already had as Hokage.

She narrowed her eyes. "I'm _serious_ ," she insisted. "He could lose his new arm if he's not careful. He must be training way too hard. You should have seen it just now!"

Kakashi glanced over to the pile of dogs on the floor. "Who was in charge of watching Sasuke today?" he demanded.

They all fidgeted and looked away.

"Don't blame _them_ ," Sakura said. "I should have known. He's always trying to downplay any pain, and I know how much he wants to get back to full strength."

She'd been working too hard, giving too much of herself to her old teammate ever since they'd dragged him back to Konoha. He had seen it, and he had worried about it. At least she didn't think she was still _in love_ with him anymore; she'd grown out of that. But she was going to burn out in her efforts to heal him. It would take a whole village to manage that recovery.

Kakashi stood up, walked into his kitchen, and brought her back a can of beer. She wasn't his student anymore. That had its advantages. "Just drink it," he told her when she gave him a dubious look.

"I always make sure to go to all his training sessions," she said, opening the can. "And the one time I'm not there-"

"Sakura," he interrupted. "I've got the nin-ken watching him so you don't have to. Juugo has his birds and mice and whatever watching him. You can't take on all that pressure."

"I'm his _doctor_ ," she said with a miserable shrug, looking downcast. "It's my _job_."

"Then get one of the others to help," he suggested, wishing that Tsunade was still in town.

"No-one can read him like I can," Sakura argued.

Kakashi bit back a sigh. She was so stubborn; she was probably a little bit right, though. "If you really want me to send someone else with Naruto, I will. But then you'll have a very annoyed Naruto on your hands." Naruto has been so excited to see his adorable friend in a kimono, after all.

"Oh, I know," she said, groaning, and taking another long sip of her drink. "And I wanted to go with him. I even cancelled a da- uh, plans," she said, flushed. "Cancelled plans."

He couldn't help but grin at that. "You mean your date with that civilian boy? What was his name? Kuro?"

"Sensei!" she shrieked, blushing bright red. "How do you even know about that?!"

"The nin-ken hear things," he said, waving to the pile of dogs, much to their noticeable disgust. "They're such gossips. It's inappropriate, really."

"Sakura-chan," Uhei whined. "See how he treats us? Always blaming us for everything…"

"I don't know how you put up with it," she said to them, glaring, but still bright red.

"I'm sure you could just re-schedule," Kakashi said in a soothing voice. "But really, Sakura, a civilian?"

"As if I could ever be bothered with shinobi men ever again!" she hissed, gripping the can hard in anger.

"Well, that may be wise," he agreed. "They're not to be trusted, as a general rule. Maybe stick with your Kuro."

"He's not _my Kuro_ ," she said, slamming the can down on the coffee table and falling back against the couch, sulking, crossing her arms across her chest. "And forget it, I'm going with Naruto. After all that effort with those damn kimono…"

"I'm sure he'll appreciate it," Kakashi said with a smile, ignoring the look of judgement Pakkun was giving him. "And you should do your best not to worry about Sasuke, either. I'll set all eight dogs on him if it'll make you feel better."

The dog pile yelped.

"It might," Sakura murmured, calming down. "And the pill I gave him should have him knocked out until tomorrow afternoon anyway. So maybe…"

"So maybe, everything will be fine. And when Tsunade gets back from her mission, you'll talk to her about it. You'll feel better for it."

"Mm," she said. "Maybe."

"Go to bed, Sakura," Kakashi said. "Let someone else worry about Sasuke for a few days. It won't kill him to go without you."

She stood up and straightened her dress. "Well, if you promise you'll watch him…"

"I promise," he said, standing as well and walking towards the door. "And please don't let Naruto get engaged to one of the daimyo's relatives. That would be so much work. I'm already too busy."

"I'll try," she said, giving Pakkun a goodbye pat before walking over to join him.

"Have fun," he said to her as he waved goodbye.

He stood in the hall and watched her walk away. He made a mental note to send one of the dogs- maybe two- over to Sasuke's apartment for the weekend; he should probably make time to check on him in person, too. If he _had_ been training too hard- and that was very believable- he probably needed a talking-to. If nothing else, it was supremely unfair of him to causing his friend such anxiety.

Sakura was gone; when he turned back around, all four dogs were looking at him with identical expressions of disapproval.

"One word out of any of you," he warned, "and you're all sleeping outside tonight."

They exchanged dubious looks with each other and shrugged. He sighed. Such judgemental animals, nin-ken. So demanding.

Speaking of which. He was just about to head back to his book when yet another one of the annoying dogs walked down the hall, and gave him a _look_.

"What now?" he asked with a frown.

"Problem," the dog said. "Big problem."

* * *

In the hour it took to get to the prison outside of Konoha, Bisuke had enough time to fill him in on all the Anbu had discovered so far about the group of prisoners Kiba's team had brought back.

When they arrived, Yamato met them outside the prison and led them off to a small building set apart through the trees.

"Any updates?" he asked.

Yamato nodded. "All the rest of them are co-operating, more or less. They don't know much. They were just in a desperate situation."

He led them past a row of holding cells, down some stairs, and into a brightly-lit observation room. There, on the bed in the middle of the room, a woman lay unconscious; her arms and legs were securely strapped down.

"That's necessary?" he asked.

"She fought," Yamato replied. He nodded to another masked Anbu figure, who waved Kakashi forward.

"Here, on her neck. It didn't take long to find. It activated, when we found it," the masked figure said.

That simmering sense of doom in the back of Kakashi's mind flared up when he saw it, standing out starkly on the woman's white skin: a curse seal.

"You're sure none of the others have it," he asked.

"Reasonably. They claim they haven't known this woman for very long. She was their link with the outside group they were communicating with."

Kakashi stared at the seal. It wasn't quite the same as the one Sasuke had had, or Anko's. There was something about it… Did its apparent difference from Orochimaru's signature make this more or less dangerous? But it was a curse seal none the less, and similar enough that it was most definitely connected with the network that had sprung up after Orochimaru's downfall.

He glanced at Yamato, noting that the usually placid-looking man was looking a little perturbed.

"Let's put another seal on it, before you allow her to wake up again," Kakashi said.

Yamato nodded. "This woman's probably the one capable of suppressing chakra, as well," he added. "Even now, it can't be sensed; but some of my men can at least sense _something_."

Kakashi wished that Tsunade would hurry up with her investigations and come back to Konoha. This might be something she could help with.

In the meantime, they'd just have to manage as best they could. It was his job, after all.

* * *

 _Coming up next:_ _Naruto discovers a loophole in his inability to get drunk and ponders the best way to get inside Sasuke's mind._

Author's notes: ahhh I love the nin-ken, I'd write them into every scene if I could… and oh look, some plot! Amazing!

Thoughts, concerns, questions? Come chat in the comments or stop by my tumblr some time ^_^. [ shherie-dot-tumblr-dot-com/]


	15. What The Hell Was In That Red Drink

**What The Hell Was In That Red Drink (Naruto's POV)**

 _In which Naruto discovers a loophole in his inability to get drunk and ponders the best way to get inside Sasuke's mind._

* * *

In the end the birthday ball wasn't so bad; those royals really knew how to party once they'd had a few drinks- and they _really_ knew how to drink, the sake was _delicious_ , it was only the best for these people, it was almost like they were- royalty.

Naruto giggled to himself as Sakura forcibly directed him down the hall of their inn and into their room. "Sakura-chan," he said to her, "weren't they nice? So nice. And pretty. And they said we were pretty too. Sakura-"

"Oh my god," Sakura hissed into his ear as Naruto slumped all over her. "You are _drunk_."

"Can't be," Naruto declared, snuggling into her neck. "I don get drunk-" He swayed, and gripped her tighter.

"Just let me get this kimono off you, then you can sleep, okay? Stand up for me, good boy…" she cooed at him, as Naruto did his best to follow her instructions.

"I wanna sleep in this, Sakura," he said, as her hands started undoing all the ties. "It's so nice! Can't we wear this all the time…"

"It's very expensive, Naruto, just stand still-"

He did his best, but the room did appear to be spinning just a little, so it wasn't _his_ fault if-

"Naruto!" Sakura snapped at him, swatting his hands away from her waist. Her own hands were slipping the pretty blue kimono off his shoulders and then other pair of hands- wait.

"Whoa Sakura," Naruto said, "there's someone else in here!"

"It's just the maid, Naruto, do you really think I can manage these things by myself?"

"Maid," he repeated, pulling away from her the second the kimono was properly off, and stumbling and falling onto the futon. "We have a maid." He giggled, and looked up at Sakura.

Oh yes, there _was_ a maid, she looked a little shy, helping Sakura with her own kimono, and replacing it with a yukata. And then they were both looking down at him, Sakura with that exasperated- _ohh long word_ \- expression of hers, the girl blushing brighter red than that one drink that nice lady had given him (there was no way that was just _sake_ ).

"What?" he said to them, from on top of the blankets.

"Uh, miss," the maid said, holding out another yukata to Sakura. "Should I…"

"Ugh, no, it's fine," Sakura said, taking the yukata from her. "Just leave it. Thank you."

The next time Naruto opened his eyes, he'd somehow managed to get inside the blankets, with Sakura fussing around next to him. He pulled her down and snuggled into her. "Sakura-chan," he said. "Do we have to go home tomorrow? It's nice here. Aren't they so nice to us?"

Sakura tried to pull away from him, but she was so soft and cuddly, and she smelled really great, what was that? "Naruto," she hissed at him. "The sooner we get you away from here the better!"

"No," he said back, pulling at that pretty yukata of hers, and eventually she sighed and gave up, and settled down next to him.

"You know they laid out these futons next to each other," she grumbled. "And after what the maid just saw, they'll all be talking about it tomorrow- ugh, great…"

"Hey, Sakura-chan," Naruto whined. "Why doesn't Sasuke like me? I like him so much…"

"Oh my _god_ ," Sakura groaned into his shoulder. "I can't deal with this. I can _not_ deal with this-"

"He's so _pretty_ , Sakura, don't you think he's pretty?" Those eyes of his. And his hair. Oh, his _hair_. Why did he have such nice hair? So soft. And then his _legs_. Seriously, his _legs_ -

"Naruto," Sakura hissed, smacking him on the head. "Snap out of it. We are not talking about this!"

"Hey, Sakura-chan," Naruto said. "Have you even seen his legs? How can someone be that beautiful? It's not fair…"

She sighed. "Yes, Naruto, Sasuke has very nice legs, can we please just get some sleep-"

"Oi Sakura," Naruto interrupted. "Why have you seen his legs? That's not right. Do you know how hard it is to get him naked-"

"Naruto!" Sakura cried, swatting him again. "I'm his doctor, okay? I'm not trying to perve on your- whatever he is. I can't help it!"

"Well," he grumbled. "I'll bet you haven't seen his-"

"Naruto!" she shrieked. "Enough! I've seen everything, okay, is that what you want to hear?"

Naruto pouted. Was it too late to become a medic-nin? He could do it. He'd be a great medic-nin. And then, the next time Sasuke got injured-

He sulked into the blankets. It wasn't fair, not fair at all. Even _he'd_ only seen Sasuke completely naked a grand total of two times. There was that one time in the shower-

"I'm going to sleep now, can you please just shut up about Sasuke?"

-and that other time, when he'd caught him coming out of the shower, with just a towel around his waist-

Hmm. Such a nice memory. What a nice night that had been. Turned out the prissy bastard really, _really_ liked blowjobs, even if he had taken some time to warm up to it. Who knew Sasuke " _total virgin before me_ " Uchiha could make noises like that? Naruto giggled, and Sakura hissed into his ear.

"Whatever you're thinking about, stop it, stop it _now_ ," Sakura ordered. "I'm going to put you to sleep myself in a minute-"

Even though it _had_ led to a rather awkward conversation, in which Naruto had been forced to admit that _yes_ , he'd been with both boys and girls, and _yes_ , he liked boys better, and _no_ , Sasuke did not know any of these boys (a blatant lie). Mm yes, very awkward, Sasuke had barely looked at him for days, though Naruto suspected that was less about the liking boys thing and more about the fact that Naruto had just given him the best orgasm of his life-

"Sakura," he whined. "Seriously, what's his problem? I know he likes me too-"

"Do you?" Sakura interrupted. "Great. Problem solved-"

"-but he's just so _cold_ -"

She groaned. "Good lord. Well, even if you _are_ drunk right now, at least it doesn't happen very often-"

"But one day, it won't just be hands and mouths, because I'm seriously going to fuc-"

"Naruto!" Sakura shrieked.

* * *

The next thing he knew, it was morning, with sunlight streaming in through the windows so brightly it made him want to die.

"Ugh," he croaked. "Sakura-chan…"

He glanced around the room, being very careful not to move his head any more than was absolutely necessary.

He finally caught sight of her scurrying around the room followed by two maids, putting their belongings away and wrapping up those ridiculously heavy silk kimono.

"Sakura-chan…" he pleaded.

"No," she said, pausing in her scurrying, glaring down at him. "I am not healing you, not after what I had to put up with last night!"

He groaned. "Sakura…"

"Get up, Naruto," she said, kicking him. "It's past noon, and we need to get going."

"That would be a lot easier if you'd just-" he stopped when she glared again. He decided to change tactics. "Hey, you know, you looked so pretty last night. Seriously. The prettiest one in the room-"

Her glare intensified, but she finally knelt down and placed a glowing hand on his head. He squeaked as the pain quadrupled for a very unpleasant moment before evaporating.

"Thanks," he muttered.

"Don't mention it," she muttered back, standing up and continuing her work. "I'll be back in five minutes, and you'd better be ready to go!" She left the room, followed by one of the maids.

Naruto rolled over onto his back and stared at the roof. Well, that had been quiet a night. He forced himself into an upright position, shivering a little when the blankets fell down into his lap.

"You're Naruto Uzumaki," the remaining maid said to him, squatting down in front of him.

He blinked. "Uh…yeah?" he said. This must be a different girl from last night. There was no shyness in the way this one was gazing at his chest.

The girl squealed in happiness and he blushed.

"Um," he began, wondering if he should pull the blankets back up, and if he was in fact completely naked. "I-"

"My mistress asked me to give these to you," she said, reaching into the sleeves of her yukata and pulling out several little red bottles.

 _Ohhh_ , he thought. He grinned, and reached out to take them from her.

"Thank you," he said. " _Really_."

The maid peeked around behind her and then leaned in closer to him, lowering her voice. "And she wanted to know. Is it true what they're saying about you and Miss Sakura?"

Naruto gaped at her. "Um, Sakura-chan?"

"Yes, you know…"

He blinked, confused. "Uh…yeah…?"

The girl squealed again, and then quickly got to her feet and straightened her yukata when she heard footsteps approaching.

"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed. "Why are you _still naked_?"

* * *

 _You know_ , Naruto thought to himself, _Sakura was sent along to be MY bodyguard, that's kinda like a servant, she really shouldn't be working me so hard._

Sakura kept them moving at an unreasonably fast pace all the way home to Konoha, despite (or perhaps because of) Naruto's persistent complaining. Well, after that, there was no way he was helping her track down Sasuke, _no way_ , she could just find him _herself_.

Naruto stalked through the village, and then changed directions once she was no longer following him and headed straight for where he could sense Sasuke's presence.

He found the prissy bastard just about as far away from his apartment as he could get without actually leaving Konoha. He was sitting up against a tree, with an impressive collection of little weapons stacked beside him, moodily throwing them across the clearing.

"Uh, Sasuke," Naruto said. "What did that thing ever do to you?" he said, pointing to the poor splintered tree that was completely covered in shuriken and kunai.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke scowled at him, continuing to throw the little daggers into his makeshift target. His left arm was tightly bandaged and tied against his chest in a sling.

Naruto flushed a little red at the thought of how much of that could be his responsibility. But look, really, Sasuke was the one who attacked _him_ , pinned _him_ to the wall, who _insisted_ they go back to Naruto's apartment, so actually it was all Sasuke's fault, if you really thought about it.

"Get lost, dead last," Sasuke said. "It's my day off. I'm under no obligation to stare at your stupid face today."

Naruto scowled. "I _was_ going to give you a souvenir from the party last night, but now you can just forget it-"

"Great," Sasuke interrupted, throwing another shuriken across the clearing. "It's forgotten. Leave me alone."

"Sulking, are we? Not an attractive look, Sasuke," Naruto said, which was in fact a complete lie, because Sasuke looked damn fine literally _all the time_.

He wandered closer to where Sasuke was sitting and squeaked when a kunai flew passed his head. "Hey!" he hissed. "I just came here to talk-"

"I'm not interested," Sasuke said.

 _Like hell you're not_ , Naruto thought. He stalked over and sat down right in front of him. "What's got you is such a bad mood?" he demanded.

" _You_ ," Sasuke hissed, his glare notching up a few levels.

"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto said, glaring right on back. "It's kinda hard not to take something like that personally."

Sasuke scowled. "Are you serious?"

Naruto didn't respond. He glanced down at Sasuke's bandaged arm, wondering if it was really okay. Sakura had downplayed it, but he could tell she was properly worried, and she'd been in such a rush to get home. Maybe he should have told her where he was.

Naruto glanced back up at Sasuke's face, trying to read his expression. It didn't _look_ like he was in pain. He leaned closer and tilted his head, squinting his eyes. There had been moments in the past when Naruto had been able to read this guy like an open book, like all his thoughts and all his needs and desires had been laid bare, clear as crystal. Naruto sincerely hoped he wouldn't have to beat him to a pulp again to get another chance like that. But if that was what it would take-

"Naruto," Sasuke grumbled. "What are you-"

"I'm thinking about kissing you," Naruto said.

Sasuke gaped. "And I'm thinking about throwing this kunai right at your face, moron!"

Naruto moved in closer and Sasuke dropped the weapon he was holding and held his arm out to keep him away. Undeterred, Naruto dodged him and kept moving in, bringing his face to Sasuke's and kissing him with all the determination he could muster.

Sasuke grabbed at Naruto's shirt and bit down on his tongue _hard_. Naruto shrieked and pulled away. "Oi!" he hissed. "That _hurt_ -"

And then Sasuke pulled him back in and kissed him again, growling against his mouth and sucking on his bottom lip. Naruto groaned and stumbled nearer, clumsily moving to push Sasuke's legs down so he could straddle them and get closer. Sasuke moaned and wrapped his arm tight around Naruto's waist.

Naruto could actually taste blood from where the jerk had bitten him; that was not playing fair! He reached his hands up to grip that pretty hair of his, angling his face up so he could kiss him harder, pressing him further against the tree. _It is so useful to have two arms again_ , Naruto thought as he left one hand tangled in Sasuke's hair, and trailed the other down his side to where his shirt was riding up around his waist.

He paused to catch his breath and Sasuke was actually _panting_ against him, trying to pull Naruto's hips down onto his, his arm snaking up under Naruto's shirt, and suddenly the memory of Sasuke tearing his nails into his back flashed through Naruto's mind.

He pulled away so he could see Sasuke's face, and saw that his eyes were hazy and glazed over. That was _hot_ , but it didn't help him get inside his mind any more than when they hadn't been making out.

"Hey, Sasuke," he breathed against his neck, nipping at his throat, trailing little kisses down his skin. "Tell me what you're thinking…" He moved up to bite at his ear, nuzzling closer. He moved his hand down to play with Sasuke's zipper. "Tell me what you think about when I'm touching you…"

Sasuke moved to kiss him again, and Naruto gasped when Sasuke shoved his tongue in his mouth. "Sasuke," he moaned, pulling away. "Tell me…" He moved to slide his hand down Sasuke's pants, but then stopped and stared at him.

"Naruto," Sasuke hissed. "Just-"

"No," Naruto teased. "Not until you talk to me."

" _Nothing_ ," Sasuke spat out. "I'm thinking about _nothing_ , okay?" He pressed his hand into Naruto's back and tried to tug him back on top of him.

Shocked, Naruto jerked his hands away, and moved away from him so abruptly that they both lost their balance and fell hard onto the ground, Sasuke landing on Naruto's stomach hard enough to wind him.

Naruto frowned and stared up at the sky, any interest his lower half had had at furthering this disappearing in an instant.

"Naruto," Sasuke scowled from where he'd landed on Naruto's chest. "What the _hell_ -"

"Nothing?" Naruto repeated. " _Nothing_?" Because he was thinking all kinds of things when he was with Sasuke. Like, _I can't believe I'm lucky enough to be kissing this guy_ , or even, _I can't believe this bastard is lucky enough to be kissing ME_. Nothing?!

"Hey, Naruto-" Sasuke said, and based on how hard he was against him, Naruto guessed _he_ was still interested. Well, tough.

Naruto sighed. "That's so cold. You're such a jerk," he murmured, flicking his eyes back to stare at him. "I don't know why I even bother-"

"You're an _idiot_ ," Sasuke muttered. "Don't you think nothing is a hell of a lot better than what I've _usually_ got running through my head?!"

Naruto blinked. Wait, what? What did he mean-

" _NARUTO_!" came a screech from behind them, and he winced. _Oh, shit._

He looked back to see a ferociously angry Sakura stalking towards them.

"Oh, hey, Sakura-chan," he said, as nonchalantly as he could. "I found Sasuke for you."

"I'm going to _kill_ you!" Sakura cried. "Do you know how long I've been looking for him?!"

 _Yeah well, I needed to find him first._

Sasuke, in the meantime, had flushed bright red and looked _mortified_ from where he was still sitting perched on top of Naruto.

 _Serves him right_ , Naruto thought. _Prissy bastard_.

* * *

 _Coming up next: news of Naruto's surprise engagement gets out, and Sakura is recruited into the Hokage's increasingly-not-secret project._

 _Author's notes:_ ...Naruto-kun, my poor baby…Sasuke is just so mean to him! _ …but I hope y'll can understand Sasuke's perspective…maybe? Maybe?

There was a lot happening in this chapter, be sure to let me know what you think! And bTHANK YOU/b to everyone who's commented so far, I really appreciate the time and effort! I'm working on some tough chapters right now (hospital flashbacks….ugh…) so it means a lot, really!


	16. Even If You Beg

**Even If You Beg (Naruto's POV)**

 _In which Naruto declares a truce with Sasuke, and they spend more than five minutes in the same room without jumping each other._

A/N: I've shuffled some chapters around, so Sakura joining the "super-secret mission" club will be next week. Naruto wanted to whine some more, and Sasuke demanded I tell HIS side of the story, so this week's two chapters are almost exclusively our two boys being awkward, adorable, and ultimately, annoyingly in-denial. …*sigh*.

* * *

The morning light streamed in through the window and Naruto lay slumped on his bed, in a dark mood.

 _"Sasuke…" he'd breathed. "Tell me what you think about when I'm touching you…"_

 _"Naruto-" Sasuke had hissed at him, but Naruto had insisted-_

 _"-_ _ **talk**_ _to me!"_

 _"Nothing," Sasuke had spat out. "I'm thinking about_ _ **nothing**_ _, okay?"_

Nothing.

All these months. All those times. He was thinking about _nothing_? Not even him? Did it even matter that it was _Naruto_ there with him?

Surely it mattered. Surely no-one else would ever bother with the bastard long enough to break down all those walls of resistance and get close enough. But Naruto remembered, vividly, the surprise that had been on Sasuke's face those first few times, the shock at just how _good_ it felt, like he hadn't believed such things were possible.

 _Well,_ Naruto thought, with a slightly gleeful feeling. _I'm 100% certain he hadn't been with anyone else, probably not even himself, before me._

That was something, at least, and Naruto knew better than to expect Sasuke to have the same normal, human emotions that someone else might have, but still, he wanted- more. He couldn't help it.

Naruto pushed himself up and swung his legs over the side of his bed. Time to stop moping. Time to stop thinking about it. _Forget he said anything_ , he told himself, and yet-

 _"You're an_ _ **idiot**_ _,"_ Sasuke had muttered. _"Don't you think nothing is a hell of a lot better than what I've_ _ **usually**_ _got running through my head?!"_

That hurt. It hurt, because Naruto knew Sasuke was in pain. What kind of friend had Naruto been to him, since he got back to Konoha? Not a very good one. That had to change.

* * *

Naruto paced back and forth in front of the closed door, hoping no-one would walk past and catch him here; luckily, it seemed that hardly anyone bothered to come to this part of the tower, and all was quiet. He sighed, and leant hard against the wall, trying to relax. He was _tired_.

He'd been given a 'day off' after his weekend with the daimyo's family, but he was so behind on his mission reports and a dozen random-yet-necessary errands that he'd been rushing around all day. His ability to slack off had weakened in the past few months. He suspected some kind of underhanded trick on Shikamaru's part. Probably on old forbidden ninja technique.

He'd handed in a pile of badly-written mission reports to that slave-driver Shikamaru just before he left the tower for the day, and Naruto had intended to leave the tower as well, and yet somehow-

-somehow, he'd just wandered down here instead, to where his Sasuke-radar assured him that Sasuke was hiding. This must be the place he kept disappearing to all the time; where he spent all his time with _them_.

The door open and he froze; what was he going to say? What if it was one of those Taka guys? But it was just Yamato, in his Anbu gear. He breathed out and relaxed.

"Naruto-kun," Yamato said to him. "Should I tell Sasuke you're here?"

"No!" Naruto replied, panicked, waving his arms. "No, I'm just- waiting. I don't want to bother him!"

Yamato stared at him. "Ah," he said eventually. "That's right. You haven't made up yet."

 _Damn Anbu. Walking around feeling like they know everything._

He scowled, and Yamato just smiled placidly.

"How was the mission?" he inquired.

"Just fine," Naruto replied, off-handily. He wondered why Yamato had been in that room. This was Sasuke's office, right? Where he worked on whatever project he and those damn Taka guys were working on.

And then he was suddenly struck by a horrifying thought. Sasuke wasn't- _I mean, Kakashi wouldn't let Sasuke get involved with_ _ **Anbu**_ _, would he?_

And yet Kakashi-sensei himself had been put into Anbu as a way to confront his demons. Kakashi had told him about it one day, when they'd been talking about Naruto's father, who'd been his teacher.

"What's wrong?" Yamato asked.

"Yamato," Naruto began. "Sasuke's not in Anbu now, is he?" he demanded.

Yamato's expression remained unchanged. "I wouldn't be allowed to talk about something like that, would I?"

Naruto scowled and clenched his fists.

"But," Yamato went on, "I'd also be more careful meeting up with new recruits, or so you would hope."

He flashed Naruto a quick smile, and then turned and walked away down the corridor.

 _He's_ _ **not**_ , Naruto thought. _He wouldn't._ Surely no-one would be stupid enough to let Sasuke into Anbu.

Naruto willed himself to relax. It wouldn't do any good to pick another fight with Sasuke about it. He'd just wait, and maybe if he got the chance, casually inquire about it-

He sighed again, and banged his head against the wall behind him.

And then the door opened again, and he froze once more.

"Naruto," Sasuke said, voice cold, eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here?"

Naruto held his hands up in front of him in surrender. "Truce!" he said. "Truce. I'm not here to make trouble, I swear!"

"Well, what do you want then?" Sasuke asked, arms crossed over his chest. "You're distracting me with your stupid chakra all over the place."

 _…stupid chakra…_

"Dinner," he said quickly. "Dinner. Let's go get something to eat. I'm starving."

Sasuke looked supremely unconvinced. "I'm not going anywhere with _you_ -"

"And I won't try to grope you or kiss you or anything, I _promise_!"

Sasuke gaped. "Naruto!" he scowled. "As if I'd _let_ you!"

"Even if you beg me for it, I won't, so-"

"Naruto!" Sasuke scowled.

"Truce!" Naruto repeated. "Truce, okay?"

" _Truce_?" he exclaimed.

Naruto breathed out. "I just want to talk- ah, dinner! Just dinner, maybe a little talking, seriously, no big deal-"

"Dinner," Sasuke said.

"Yes, so, let's go, okay?"

"I'm not going to Ichiraku's," Sasuke declared.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. That was a yes. "Uh, sure. Um. Curry?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Fine," he said.

 _Victory!_

* * *

It was a small place that Naruto knew would be pretty much empty. He was sure Sasuke would appreciate that. He tried not to notice, but people still kinda gave him the cold shoulder. Staring at him all the time, muttering to each other. Like they used to do to _him_.

It would get better, after a while, surely; Sasuke would get used to life here, and people would get used to him.

"You're paying, right?" Sasuke said, after they ordered.

Naruto coughed. "Uh, what? You're the super-rich one!"

Sasuke leant on the table and stared at him evenly. "You're the one who insisted we have dinner."

Naruto frowned. "Oh, fine! Well, you better eat it all. Don't think I haven't noticed how skinny you've been getting-"

Sasuke scowled at him. "That's hardly any of _your_ business, idiot-"

"Like hell it isn't, you _jerk_ -"

"What kind of lousy truce is this, anyway!" Sasuke declared, glowering, pushing himself back in his chair and crossing his arms across his chest. "Why do you have to bother me about _everything_? I'll eat what I want!"

Naruto pouted. Why did everything turn into a fight with this guy? He pushed himself up from the table and stomped over to the counter to get some water, and slammed a glass down in front of him.

"Here," he said. "I assume I'm allowed to get you water, at least."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to say something, but evidently thought better of it and stayed silent. He grabbed the water and took a long drink, still scowling, and not looking at him.

 _Jerk._

It was only natural to be worried about his friend, he'd been so alone for so long, and now he was back in a place where people thought these horrible things about him, and okay maybe some of those things were true but they didn't know the whole story, so of course Naruto would be keeping an eye on him-

 _The only thing I wanted was to get away from you staring at me_

 _Can't I get just one night off from you watching me all the damn time_

 _Four days wasn't long enough_

Naruto stared at the table-top and felt his cheeks burning up a little. This was meant to be a truce. He wondered how that could have gone better. All he'd said was that maybe he should be eating a little better. It was just friendly concern. He seemed to remember that Sasuke actually could cook, so there was no reason for him to not be eating.

"Hey, Sasuke," he murmured, taking care to keep his tone light and even. "Wasn't it hard, traveling around with only one arm? Cooking and stuff? I swear I couldn't do anything."

"Yeah, I noticed," Sasuke said.

He frowned, but caught himself before throwing something nasty back at him. It was _true_ , after all. He forced himself to smile, and shrug. "Oh, well, at least you got to keep your right arm!"

There was a moment of silence; Naruto felt himself tense up.

Luckily the waiter chose that moment to bring their food, and Naruto distracted himself by starting to eat.

And then he heard Sasuke sigh. "It wasn't so bad," he said. "I got used to it. But the cooking was hard, I supposed. Cutting things."

Naruto looked up and they exchanged a glance.

"Well, anyway," Naruto said. "I'll bet your cooking was still a whole lot better than mine ever was."

He smiled. It was barely noticeable, but it was there. Naruto's heart gave a little leap. "I'll bet it was," Sasuke said. "And anyway, I figured out different ways to make it easier. And I was making more progress with the jutsus we'd been working on."

Naruto grinned, memories of all those training sessions flashing through his mind. The exhilaration, the _relief_ , at discovering they weren't as useless as they thought they would be after losing an arm. "Yeah, it's almost a shame we didn't work on those longer. I can't believe how much we could still do!"

"And I had these other ideas, using chains and things-"

"For fighting?"

"Yeah, and different ways to use wire like I used to do," he went on.

"Are you still working on it?" Naruto asked. "Even now with your new arm? You're not back to full strength yet, are you?"

" _Naruto_ ," he exclaimed. "We can't all be freakishly-fast healing demons like you!"

He laughed. "Well, if Sakura had her way you'd be back to normal in no time. She's just as crazily over-protective with you as she was with me."

"So she was this annoying with you, too?"

"Oh, _yeah_ , watching all my training sessions like a hawk, checking my arm every five minutes, trying all sorts of different creams and oils and ways to wrap the bandages-"

"And getting you to rate your pain on a scale of one to ten?"

"Yeah, and not being satisfied that I was fine-"

"And reminding you every second day how much work she put into making these damn arms?"

He giggled. It was true. "Mm, yeah, completely obsessed!"

Feeling delighted, he went back to eating before he could say anything to mess this up. They were talking. He was smiling. Well, sort of. As close as he would probably get. Naruto grinned into his dinner.

"But anyway, some of that stuff is really working. My arm isn't nearly as creepily white as it was before. And it almost feels natural."

"Naruto," Sasuke said. "Why did you ask Sakura to take your new arm off?"

 _Oh, what? Where did that come from?_

He blinked, and flushed red. "Uh…you know about that?" he asked, flustered.

"I didn't know about it until after they'd put mine on," he replied. "She was very quick to get me into surgery before I could put too much thought into it."

Naruto could believe that. It had been a pretty big challenge to get him to agree to it, and Naruto had been more than keen to have a right arm again.

"So?" Sasuke prompted.

"Oh," he said, looking down. "Well. You know how it was. It hurt. And I'm not being weak, you _know_ it hurt, right?"

Sasuke nodded, and he felt a rush of relief. He understood.

"And then I couldn't move it at all for like three days!" Naruto went on. "That was even worse than those three months stuck in the hospital. It was like I was actually useless!"

Sasuke stayed silent, face blank. "And?"

"And- and nothing, I mean…I got used to not having it, I suppose," he mumbled. "Those one-handed jutsus, and the techniques we were working on. People were totally impressed! It was great for my image."

And it was true, people _had_ been impressed. Though that was probably only because they didn't know how good _Sasuke_ was at one-handed jutsus by comparison.

Sasuke sighed. "Yeah. Okay."

"But it's fine now," he insisted. "You'll get used to it."

"I'm already used to it, dead-last," he retorted.

Naruto scoffed. "Sure you are. And also, I meant it about your dinner, if you don't eat it all, I'm not paying for it! Seriously."

"Naruto!" he hissed. "Give it a rest already!"

He just smiled, reaching over to Sasuke's plate and piling half the remaining meal on his own. "Finish it," he said.

Sasuke groaned, and started eating again. "Idiot," he muttered.

Naruto nodded, once he started eating. Good. He was going to take care of his friend, no matter what. Even if Sasuke didn't want him to. Even then.

This felt good. They were talking. They were eating together. They'd gone a whole five minutes- it might have even been _ten_ \- without fighting, and neither of them had stuck their tongues down the other's throat, which apparently was one of their preferred methods of fighting these days.

He put his fork down. "Sasuke," he said. "I was lying."

"About what in particular?"

"About- well, the arm _did_ hurt. And it was annoying to get used to. But…"

"But?"

"Well, it's just that…" he frowned. He hadn't said any of this out loud before. He's barely even thought about it properly; he hadn't let his mind linger in such dark places.

But Sasuke was staring at him, steady and expectant. He took a deep breath and continued.

"After you left and they let me go on missions again. It was just so crazy out there. People looking for family and teammates. People trying to get back home. And, there was just so many…" he gulped.

Sasuke didn't react to that. _I guess he knows all this,_ Naruto thought. _He was out there for six months. He probably saw a lot worse than I did._

"It's not like I haven't seen dead bodies before. Even rotting ones. But there were just so _many_. And then for a few weeks I was stuck back here with the new arm. And one day I just looked down at it and I saw-" he sighed. "Never mind, this is silly."

"Naruto," Sasuke said. "Just tell me."

"It's _embarrassing_ ," he said.

"You should be used to that, moron."

Naruto scowled.

"I looked down and I remembered those one hundred thousand white zombie clone things, and they were made of the same stuff, you know, more or less. Sakura tried to explain it to me. And all the people they killed. My _friends_."

He was rambling now, but he couldn't help it; the words just seemed to spill out. "And I was thinking about how I was pretty sure _I_ was going to die too, trying to get through your thick skull. I thought I _was_ dead, for a while. And I didn't-" he sighed, and kept looking down at his hands. "It sounds stupid. I can't even explain it."

"We would _definitely_ have died, if Sakura hadn't gotten to us," Sasuke said, quietly.

"Yeah. Well. So, we both lost an arm- but you came back to Konoha, so it seemed like a fair-" he flushed red. "…well. And then just like that I had a new arm. It felt like- like…" he frowned. _I just can't explain this at all. It must sound crazy._

"Like cheating," Sasuke murmured.

He looked up, and they exchanged a long, silent glance.

"…yeah," he said, after a while. "Like cheating."

He coughed, feeling flustered, and went back to his dinner. Those were not fond memories. Did Sasuke really understand? Maybe he did.

 _Well, damn. I invited him out to make_ _ **him**_ _feel better, not to talk about me. Sneaky bastard._

"Anyway," he said. "The worst's behind us, now. With the arms."

Sasuke hesitated, but nodded. "I suppose so," he said back.

Naruto took a deep breath, realising his pulse was racing. The thing was, he was always accusing Sasuke of never wanting to talk about things- that annoying, 'strong and silent' thing he had going on- but he knew he wasn't really that good at it himself.

The difference was, at least he was willing to _try_.

On that note. He took a long sip of water, and cleared his throat. "Sasuke," he said, voice low and hesitant. "There's something I wanted to ask. But I didn't want to fight about it, so maybe-" _Maybe I just shouldn't even bring it up. But…_ "But, I've been trying to understand, and I just _can't_ …"

Sasuke sighed from across the table, and stopped eating. "You can ask," he said, gruffly, "but I can't promise to answer." He was looking away, very carefully not meeting Naruto's eyes.

Naruto did the same. "I just…I don't really understand why you had to _leave_. I mean, wouldn't it have been better- surely, it would have been easier if you'd just-"

"Stop," he interrupted. "It wouldn't have been."

Naruto growled under his breath. "Sasuke-"

"If you don't want to fight about it, then just listen!" Sasuke snapped.

Naruto closed his mouth and clenched his fists. _Fine, talk. I'm listening._

Sasuke seemed to hesitate, still looking away from him, frowning hard. He sighed. "Do you know what claustrophobia is?" he eventually asked.

 _Huh?_ "What? You mean like, being afraid of tunnels and things?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and Naruto resisted the urge to punch him.

"A fear of enclosed spaces. That's not what it was, but it was kind-of…" He sighed again, drumming his fingers on the table. "The more time went on, and the more I went outside of the hospital, everywhere I went and everyone I saw just had so many memories attached, it was like I was getting hit on all sides…"

"But surely that would have gotten easier, as time went on," Naruto said, when Sasuke paused.

"It didn't," Sasuke said back. "It got worse, until it was creeping in on me. Until it was like I was suffocating."

Naruto frowned. He was trying to understand, really. But Sasuke had never been the kind of person to just run away from his problems. Was that what he'd done?

"I just thought it would be easier, after a break," Sasuke continued. "And then a chance came up, with the mission Kakashi had for me."

"Did you always intend to come back?" Naruto asked, before he wimped out.

Sasuke didn't answer that one. "Anyway," he said. "That's all I can really say about it."

 _Can, or will?_ "But," Naruto asked. "What about-are you saying it had nothing to do with- um, me?" He blushed and looked down at the table, heart pounding.

"I'm not saying that," Sasuke answered, voice barely audible. "But that wasn't the main consideration."

 _That hardly counts as an answer,_ Naruto thought to himself. "I just don't understand what that means for _now_ ," he forced himself to say. "I want to help you, but if I'm just making it worse- do you want me to stay away from you?"

"No," Sasuke answered, very quickly; so fast that Naruto felt a rush of relief go through him.

"Sasuke-"

"Can we not talk about it anymore," he said, turning his face and looking right at him.

"But-"

"Please," he added. "…if you really don't want to fight about it."

Naruto bit his lip. No, he didn't want to fight. And he had gotten about ten times more information out of him tonight than he thought he would. That was something. That was a _lot._

So they finished their dinner, in a slightly awkward silence, and Naruto did pay in the end. And when they left the cafe and parted ways ( _"I can walk back to my apartment by myself, dead-last!"),_ he tentatively congratulated himself on a job well done.

* * *

 _Coming up next: an unravelling Sasuke digs up some memories (both physically and metaphorically)._

A/N: This stupidly-long chapter is all about justifying Sasuke's new arm tbh. Him refusing the arm in 699/700 was really significant, especially since he *still* doesn't have it in Gaiden! In my mind, it's a Big Deal and probably a pretty sore point between him and Naruto. If I was Sasuke, I'd almost feel betrayed that Naruto had moved on so easily. *cough* but anyway….enough of that…


	17. I Shouldn't Miss You

**I Shouldn't Miss You (Sasuke's POV)**

 _In which an unravelling Sasuke digs up some memories (both physically and metaphorically)._

A/N: trigger warning for anxiety and depressive thoughts. We're delving further into Sasuke's mind here, which as I'm sure you can imagine, is NOT a happy place. I just want to say that no matter how bad it gets, this version of Sasuke will NEVER have self-harm or suicidal tendencies.

* * *

After Sasuke had been walking for about five minutes, he figured Naruto was far enough away and it was safe to stop. He paused on a quiet street, leant up against a wall, and concentrated on breathing and bringing his pulse-rate back under control.

He had never been more grateful for his ability to keep a calm, composed face than during that conversation. He didn't know what had come over him. He'd had no intention of _ever_ speaking about any of that stuff. He'd never intended to ask Naruto about his arm. He'd certainly never intended to talk about why he'd left. And when Naruto had asked if he wanted him to stay away-

 _I should have said yes. What a missed opportunity._

If Naruto had been willing to stay away, Sasuke should have _let_ him. He knew he'd been using Naruto as some sort of- well, coping device. A _distraction_. He _knew_ that, and he knew it made him weak. It was avoiding the problem. But he was so tired sometimes, and giving in just felt so-

He let out a frustrated breath. What he'd said during dinner was true. This place, and these people, were suffocating him, and it wasn't getting easier. Would it have been easier, if the streets and buildings had been the same as he remembered? Maybe, but maybe not. Even now, he'd be walking somewhere and just randomly he'd realise where he was, and what had been here before.

No, it wasn't getting easier, and something had to be done. He'd hated the way Naruto had been looking at him, those sad puppy-dog eyes, the sympathy, the pity, the disappointment. He did not want Naruto's help. He shouldn't _need_ it.

He pushed himself off the wall and started walking, determinedly, towards the most familiar part of town. He started moving faster, and when the streets didn't go in the direction he wanted, he jumped up onto the rooftops and leapt across them, and in no time at all he was there.

His home; the Uchiha District. Or what remained of it, at least. There was hardly anything here. He stood there on the boundary, seeing the old buildings he'd known imposed over the stark, desolate image of what was here now.

The last time he'd come here, he'd remembered thinking that there was almost certainly more here than it seemed; in the rubble, and especially underground. The Uchiha liked to bury things. Who knows what he could find, if he started looking. And that thought had been so terrifying that he'd turned and left, as fast as he physically could, and he hadn't come back- but he hadn't stopped thinking about it. He _couldn't_ stop thinking about it.

 _So what about the things_ _ **I**_ _buried?_ They were probably still out there in the forest.

He turned and looked in the direction of the Hokage monument and the tower. He couldn't just leave the village, not without the whole of Anbu going berserk in response. But Kakashi had still been in his office when he'd left work. So maybe…

* * *

The tower was quiet, but there were still a few people here working, and the lights were still on. Sasuke passed the Anbu guard at Kakashi's door and slipped into his office, finding the Hokage frowning over a pile of paper work.

"Kakashi," he called, before he lost his nerve. "I need a favour."

"So do I," his old teacher muttered back. "How do you feel about impersonating a Hokage and doing some of this work for me?"

"I do plenty of your work already," Sasuke said. _And people would crucify me for it if they found out._

Kakashi sighed and looked up. "What can I do for you, Sasuke-kun?"

"I need to go outside of the walls," he said. "Just for a bit."

"Just for a bit," Kakashi repeated, looking supremely unconvinced. "You know I can't let you leave. We had a deal."

"Come with me," he said. "It'll take less than an hour, I swear." He would have much preferred to go alone, but if he was doing this tonight, he didn't have a choice.

"And what is this mysterious mission we'll be doing?"

Sasuke cleared his throat. _Don't back out now,_ he told himself. "I…I left some things, buried them, before I left Konoha," he said. "For the first time, I mean. I didn't know what would happen to my apartment, or to the District, so…"

"What kinds of things?" Kakashi asked, leaning forward.

"Just…things."

"And you need these things tonight."

"Yes," he said.

"And what will you do for me in return?"

He frowned. "Aren't I doing enough?" he growled.

"No," Kakashi said back with a grin, standing up. "But I'm sure I'll think of something you can do."

He walked passed him, indicating for him to follow. Sasuke tensed up, not sure if he was ready; but it had to be done.

"I'm taking Sasuke outside of the walls," the Hokage said to the Anbu guard at the door. "We'll be back in less than an hour. Arrange for one of your men to trail us."

"Hey-" Sasuke protested.

"That's the deal," Kakashi said, looking back at him. "Do you want to go, or not?"

"…fine," he said.

* * *

At least the Anbu officer stayed out of their way. And with Kakashi with him, the guards at the gate hadn't given him any trouble, even though they had looked concerned.

It took only twenty minutes and then they were there. An inconspicuous part of the forest, just like any other, but this is where he'd gone, a few days before he'd left Konoha all those years ago. They landed among the trees, and he looked around until he found the tree with the branches twisted in an X; yes, there it was.

He walked over, knelt down, and shot a quick, one-handed jutsu through the earth to disrupt the soil. After that, it was easy to dig down, clear away the dirt, and pull out the large, wooden chest.

Sasuke sat down and placed the chest next to him, and glanced over at Kakashi. His old teacher was leaning against a tree a little away from him, staring back, expressionless. He made no effort to look away, and Sasuke knew he wouldn't leave. …he had no choice, then; and he'd come all this way.

The chest had its own seal on it, which Sasuke quickly undid, and the lid popped open. It was full to the brim, and Sasuke was surprised, forgetting just how much stuff he'd jammed in here that day.

He took a moment to make sure his hands weren't trembling. He could do this. After all he'd been through, _this_ he could do, surely.

He gently sifted through the box, placing the items down next to him one-by-one. There were wooden and tin kunai and shuriken- his old practice weapons. Some books and scrolls. An envelope which he knew was full of photos. He put that to the side without even thinking of opening it. Some random small items, of no significance to anyone but him.

There it was, at the bottom. He hesitated, glancing at Kakashi, but pulled it out anyway; an Anbu mask.

Kakashi made a little noise, and noticeably frowned. "You're not supposed to have that," he commented. "How did you even get it?"

"I'm a ninja," he said back, keeping his tone light, and shrugging as if he didn't care. He didn't mention that he'd simply taken it from his brother's room one day while he was out, and hidden it away. Itachi hadn't had any time to spend with him in those days, and he never spoke about what he did at work. Sasuke had been annoyed. He'd been _jealous_.

"He could have gotten in a lot of trouble for losing that, you know."

Sasuke did know, and Itachi had been frantic to discover it gone. He'd felt bad, after a while, but far too afraid to give it back and reveal what he'd done.

He looked down at the mask, running his fingers over it lightly, feeling his head start to pound and his eyes start to burn. He clenched his jaw, dreading the rush of memories he knew were coming.

Sasuke let the mask fall out of his hands, and he pushed himself away from the pile of objects. "Kakashi," he said, voice coming out as a harsh whisper. "I don't know how to- how to feel about all…this…" He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling his pulse start to race again.

 _I didn't know him at all._

 _I still_ _ **hate**_ _him._

 _I shouldn't miss him._

Sasuke sensed Kakashi move from the tree and settle a little closer to him; heard his steady breathing, and felt his eyes watching him. Sasuke turned his face away.

"Sasuke," Kakashi said, after a while. "I know you couldn't stand that councillor they made you see in the hospital."

 _You've got that right,_ Sasuke thought with a scowl.

"I imagine he probably told you that anything you were feeling was _right_. That all your feelings were valid."

Well, he had, and Sasuke had thought it was complete idiocy.

"And it wasn't any use at all, was it? He was wrong."

Sasuke turned and looked at him, surprised. Was Kakashi agreeing with him?

"You can't spend your time trying to figure out how you should feel, or if your thoughts are right or wrong. You'll just get trapped in a loop. And it's not easy to get out of those."

"So?" Sasuke asked. "What do I _do_?"

"Resist the urge to decide," Kakashi answered. "You don't need to decide what you think about Itachi, or about the things that have happened. If you're feeling something, just name it. Don't decide if it's something you _should_ be feeling."

"Name it," he repeated.

"You'll get very good at it, very quickly," Kakashi said. " _Oh, I'm feeling angry_ , for example; name it, and move on. I'm feeling regretful. I'm feeling sad. Lonely. Anxious. I want to punch someone. I want to scream. Just name it. Don't get caught in a loop."

"I really don't think it's that easy," Sasuke argued.

"It's not, but try it anyway. It's a start. There aren't any right answers for you to find, you know."

Sasuke didn't know. He didn't believe that. But just thinking back to Naruto's face was enough to convince him to try.

He turned back to the small pile of items and started dumping them back into the box. It was enough that he'd looked at them; he wasn't taking them back with him. But just before he closed the lid he hesitated, and took out just one item, and then he placed the box down into the ground and sealed it.

Standing up, he hugged the shabby stuffed dinosaur to his chest, wondering just how it was still in one piece given how old it was. He walked past Kakashi, preparing to leave.

"I dare you to say something," he growled at him.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Kakashi said back, and they made their way back to town.

* * *

Sasuke sat propped against the head of his bed, staring at the stuffed dinosaur he'd placed in front of him. He'd been sitting staring at it in silence for so long that Pakkun, who'd evidently been sent to his apartment to babysit him, had gotten bored and fallen asleep.

He didn't remember who'd given this to him. He'd always had it, as far as he knew. It _could_ have been a present from him.

Itachi had said that no matter what Sasuke decided to do, no matter what he did, Itachi forgave him for it.

That bastard.

 _I love you, Sasuke._

He pushed himself up out of bed, snatched the damn dinosaur up, and shoved it into his closet, slamming the door shut. The noise and movement woke Pakkun, and the pug stretched and opened his eyes.

"Name it, Sasuke," he instructed, in a sleepy voice.

"Why should I?!" Sasuke hissed, shooting a glare at him.

Pakkun rolled over and stared over at him, not seeming bothered in the slightest at Sasuke's tone, or his clenched fists.

"Can't you do it? All new skills take practice, you know," he murmured.

"I'm _angry_ ," Sasuke shot out. "Why shouldn't I be?!"

"And what else?"

 _What else…?!_ How many words for angry were there? _Furious, murderous, livid, homicidal._

Sasuke leant up against the wall and squeezed his eyes shut. So he had to resist the urge to get caught in a loop. Name it, and let it go. _I'm angry_ , he told himself. _I'm really, really angry. He was wrong. And_ _ **I**_ _was wrong. I feel…hurt._

Time passed in the silent, darkened room, and after a few minutes, Sasuke was surprised to discover just how many words he knew to describe emotions of the negative, volatile kind.

He took a deep breath and let it out; did it again, and again, until he could breathe out steadily. He opened his eyes, and Pakkun nodded at him.

"It might not be enough for tonight, though," the pug said. "Why don't you ask Sakura for something to help you sleep?"

He shook his head. He'd done that only a few days ago. No more than once a week, he'd promised himself. It would be easier if she'd just let him keep some pills in his apartment, but she refused.

"What else do you do, to distract yourself?" Pakkun asked.

 _Read_ , Sasuke thought, _or work_. Even in the hospital, Kakashi had always given him piles of work that he could do. It had been very useful. Or he trained, until the point of exhaustion. That wasn't an option until his arm improved. _I shouldn't have let her put this stupid thing on_ , he thought with a growl. And then there was-

He looked over at his bedside table, at the small framed photo taken so long ago. Sakura said Kakashi had put it there. He hadn't gotten around to moving it, yet.

Yes, Naruto was the best distraction of them all. He couldn't think of anything when that obnoxiously happy, energetic moron was touching him. Nothing else in the world existed, when Sasuke was kissing him. But that was wrong; he shouldn't be thinking such things-

 _No, name it_.

…heat. Need. Relief.

Weakness.

Sasuke reached out to grab the photo, and placed it face-down on the table. _Stop looking at me, idiot._

 _And you too, mutt_ , he thought, glancing over at Pakkun's supremely un-impressed expression.

He sighed, and resigned himself to a restless night, picking up a book before settling in bed. Pakkun stood and moved up, settling down closer to him, and Sasuke didn't make him move back. There were a lot of hours left, until he could go to work.

* * *

Sasuke woke feeling sore and stiff, and glanced around in confusion. Where was he?

"Oh, he's awake," came Suigetsu's voice.

"Are you okay?" added Juugo, appearing in Sasuke's line of sight. "You feel asleep right in the middle of finishing that report."

Sasuke stretched and sat up, and discovered he'd been lying on the tiny sofa they'd had moved into their office. He frowned, staring over at the table where he usually sat. Yes, he did remember being there, struggling to keep his eyes open.

"He insisted on moving you," Suigetsu said.

"You looked very uncomfortable," Juugo said, with that familiar, concerned look on his face.

"What time is it?" Sasuke asked.

"Just after lunch."

He sighed. "We were meant to be meeting with Shikamaru-"

"We rescheduled," Suigetsu said. "Juugo insisted we let you sleep. He's too nice. _I_ said we should wake you."

"You should have," he grumbled, standing up on slightly shaky legs, and dragging himself back to the table. "I guess we'll just have to stay late until we finish this."

Suigetsu scowled, and threw a glare in Juugo's direction. "I told you," he muttered. "…and we didn't even get lunch, because it's your turn to decide what we get. This job _sucks_."

He rolled his eyes. "Just go and get whatever," he said, waving his hand at the door. "I don't care. I'm not even hungry."

"I told you that, too," Suigetsu growled at Juugo, pushing himself up and snatching their lunch allowance. "Well, _I_ want dango," he said, leaving the room.

"Sasuke," Juugo murmured, once Suigetsu had gone.

"Don't start," Sasuke interrupted. "I'm fine. I swear." And he turned his attention back to the files in front of him, ignoring the look of unease he knew his friend would be giving him.

* * *

 _Coming up next: Sakura discovers Naruto's surprise engagement, and is recruited into the Hokage's increasingly-not-secret project._

A/N: see here for an explanation of Sasuke's adorable toy dinosaur: [shherie-dot-tumblr-dot-com/post/121187710910/sasukes-dinosaur]

Can you believe I almost had Sasuke putting that photo in the *closest* next to the dinosaur, oh god! Luckily I stopped myself, because the metaphor there just would have been WRONG. Of all the reasons keeping these two boys apart, them both being boys is not one of them, not at all.

And also….Naruto, my poor, poor baby, I hope you never find out that Sasuke called you a "distraction", *sniff* *sob*. Damn you Sasuke, your stupidity is endless. (…..but at least Sasuke called Juugo his 'friend'! PROGRESS!)

(And don't worry, Sasuke's gonna do something veeerrrryyy nice for Naruto's birthday. …*blush*.)


	18. Coffee & Insomnia

**Coffee & Insomnia (Sakura's POV)**

 _In which news of Naruto's surprise engagement gets out, and Sakura is recruited into the Hokage's increasingly-not-secret project._

* * *

Two days after returning to Konoha, Sakura stopped by the tower to drop off her report of the weekend's mission. The tower was, as usual, a buzz of activity, with shinobi and administrative staff swarming all over the place. She made her way to the top floor, and stood in the hallway and stared into the Hokage's office, where Kakashi was currently fast asleep on the desk, head pillowed on a pile of paperwork.

 _How on earth can he sleep with so much noise around him?_ she thought to herself. It certainly didn't look like he was sleeping peacefully; he looked very uncomfortable, in fact.

"Shikamaru," she said, wandering into the mission room across the hall. "Is he over-worked or just being lazy?"

"Both, probably," Shikamaru answered, not looking too energetic himself. Well, _everyone_ was looking a little stressed, still catching up on things missed over the weekend, and already behind in the work they needed to do this week. She knew the feeling. "He needs coffee." Shikamaru continued, pointing to a large metallic monstrosity on the wall.

"What is _that_?!" she exclaimed.

"That," Shikamaru said, "is a wonder. It's been keeping us all alive, these past few months."

There was a mummer of agreement from the others in the room, and several wistful looks of love and gratitude directed towards it.

It looked terrifying. "How on earth have I not noticed it until now?"

"It was downstairs. We insisted they bring it closer."

"Oooh, Sakura-chan!" came a perky voice, and she turned and saw Suigetsu grinning at her.

 _Lovely._ She narrowed her eyes. "Oh, good morning, Suigetsu…san," she said.

"Coffee," Shikamaru muttered from next to her, and Sakura frowned, confused.

"Roger!" said Suigetsu, and marched passed her to the machine.

"He's the best one at using it," Shikamaru explained.

Now _that_ was unexpected. Sakura was under the impression that Sasuke's former teammates, somehow managing to get themselves assigned to an official Konoha project, were at least being confined somewhere securely in the tower; but here was this one wandering around freely, making coffee for everyone?

She looked at Shikamaru, wondering how to delicately ask if he was insane, letting such a suspicious person loose.

Shikamaru stared back, and just shrugged at her, and grinned when a steaming cup of coffee was placed in front of him.

"Coffee, Sakura-chan?" Suigetsu asked her.

"Ah, no," she replied, wincing at the _–chan_. "No thank you."

"Your loss," he said back, walking past her to place a cup on Kakashi's desk. _Really?_ she thought. But at least after that he disappeared, carrying a whole jug of the monstrous-looking liquid with him.

"How was the mission?" Shikamaru asked her, indicating the files she was carrying.

"Oh, right," she said, handing them over. "Just fine. No problems."

"Is that so?" Shikamaru said back, raising an eyebrow. "No problems at all?"

"…no?" she replied. "Why?"

"Hmm," he said. "Well. This was delivered this morning."

He handed her a photo, taken at the daimyo's celebration that weekend, of her and Naruto posing in their kimono. Naruto must have been at least a little drunk by that stage, judging by how happy he looked. "Aww," she said. "That's nice."

The photo was plucked out of her hands from behind and she squeaked.

"Blue?" said Kakashi, examining the photo. "Odd choice for you, Sakura." He held the giant cup of coffee in his other hand, taking a long sip.

"It looks good on Naruto. Was that not the point?"

"Now that you're awake," Shikamaru said to him, "we've received a very passive-aggressive letter from the daimyo, asking when the wedding is."

Kakashi groaned. "Sakura," he grumbled. "Your job was to _stop_ him from getting engaged. Don't tell me you let one of those girls catch him. Which one?"

She scoffed. "None of them. I don't know what he's talking about," she insisted.

"Don't you?" Shikamaru said with a knowing smile. "Because apparently, he's engaged to _you_."

Kakashi coughed and choked on his coffee. "To _who_?" he said.

"That's ridiculous," Sakura said, handing Kakashi a tissue and taking the photo away from him for safekeeping.

"Naruto confirmed it himself, apparently," Shikamaru went on.

"Naruto was too drunk to do anything of the sort," she said, scowling. "Just tell him- oh, I don't know, that he's crazy."

"Very diplomatic, Sakura," Kakashi said, reaching past her to steal Shikamaru's coffee. "Maybe you're _not_ cut out to be a Hokage's wife."

"I don't think we'll deny anything just yet," Shikamaru said, glaring at Kakashi, who was standing there brazenly drinking his stolen coffee.

"You're all crazy," she said. She glanced at the photo again. "But this is cute. Can I keep it? I still haven't gotten a birthday present for Naruto."

"Naruto Uzumaki," Kakashi murmured. "Officially an adult. God help us all."

"I'll copy it for you. We might use the original as an engagement photo."

She scowled. "Oh, that's enough. I'm going back to work," she said, slamming the photo onto the desk and stalking away.

"Sakura," Kakashi called after her. "Could I have a word?"

She paused, scowl deepening. "If it's about the engagement-"

"It's not," he said, walking into his office, and motioning her to follow him.

* * *

She sat on the chair in front of his desk, watching as he stared at the bottom of the now empty coffee-cup and sighed.

"Coffee's not good for you," she said, wondering if he was getting enough sleep. No, scratch that: he clearly wasn't getting enough sleep. She didn't know why he'd ever agreed to be Hokage.

"Definitely not. Horrible stuff," he agreed, placing the empty cup down on his desk and grinning at her.

She fidgeted. What was this about it? She honestly had no idea how she'd ended up 'engaged' to Naruto, so he shouldn't be getting the wrong idea. "I have to go to work-"

"This is more important," he said, rubbing his chin under the mask. "We're in need of a medical expert, and Tsunade won't be back for weeks."

 _Oh_ , she thought, feeling instantly relieved. "What for?"

"You remember the work you and Tsunade did with some of the prisoners after the war. Comparing their chakra signatures."

The sense of relief faded, and was replaced with apprehension. "Like I was doing with Sasuke?" She'd been determined to find out how much, if any, of Orochimaru's influence still remained in Sasuke's chakra, now that the curse seal was gone. Repeated use of certain jutsus and techniques left traces behind; she and Tsunade had been developing ways to identify them.

"We've got a prisoner now. We need to know if she's one of Orochimaru's old associates."

She frowned, and wrinkled her nose. She definitely didn't want to get back involved with _that_.

"Why don't you just ask _him_?" she said.

"Orochimaru?" Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Or one of _them_ ," she added, crossing her arms over her chest.

"If by 'them' you mean Sasuke and his friends," he said, "we have photos we can show them. But in the meantime, this woman is being held in the prison outside of Konoha, and the boys aren't allowed to go passed the walls, under any circumstances."

Sakura did her best not to dwell on how Kakashi refereed to them as Sasuke's friends, or 'the boys', so casually. "Really?" she asked, surprised. "They aren't?"

"Definitely not. That was the deal we made to get them in. Juugo and Suigetsu, anyway. Maybe the council would have relaxed their stance on Sasuke, if he hadn't gotten back in touch with them. But in any case, they're confined to the village, as long as they're working on this project."

She grinned. _Confirmation_. Now she was _sure_ that whatever Sasuke was working on, it had to do with Orochimaru. It was the only logical reason he'd bring back his old teammates; why they'd be allowed into Konoha. They were _useful_.

"Why are you smiling?" Kakashi asked with a frown, looking concerned. "That's not a good smile."

"Because," she said, "I've been asking for _months_ what you've got Sasuke doing, and you've finally told me."

He groaned. "Well, it can't be helped. We need more expertise, and you've got it. So, are you in? If not, I won't be telling you anything else. This is higher-level access than you've ever had before."

 _Finally._

"I'm in," she said.

"Good," he said, standing up. "Let's get going."

"Now?"

"Unless you have anything absolutely urgent, more urgent than this?"

She shook her head. "I do have one more question, though."

"Ask away," he said.

"If they did try to leave. For some reason. What would happen?"

He was hesitating, at that. "Let us hope," he said after a moment, "that they don't try."

* * *

She stood inside the examination room with Kakashi, Yamato, and several masked Anbu agents. She guessed that now her 'clearance' was being raised, Yamato would stop pretending she didn't know he was in Anbu.

"I've been trained in chakra detection techniques," an Anbu in a cat mask was saying to her. "This woman is definitely a ninja, and she's supressing her chakra somehow. Even while she's unconscious. This suggests some kind of external mechanism; something that continues working even without her directing it."

Sakura nodded. "It's not to do with the seal?" she asked, pointing to the curse seal on the woman's neck. She was not happy to see one of those, again. It brought up very, _very_ unpleasant memories.

"It may be," said Kakashi, "but not necessarily."

"It's more likely the curse seal marks her as an associate of Orochimaru's- or of one of _his_ top associates- and now she's being disguised so as to work with these displaced groups of civilians," Yamato added.

"Are these the same groups of civilians who've been grave robbing?" she asked, remembering the term Ino had used, when she'd been complaining about shinobi weapons and supplies being taken, in the aftermath of the war.

"That's a possibility we're looking into now," Yamato said, in a tone suggesting she was unlikely to hear any more about it.

"Can you sense any chakra now?" Sakura asked the Anbu cat, stepping closer to the prisoner, and holding her hands above her skin.

The cat nodded. "It's very faint, but it's coming from a few points in her body." The cat pointed to the woman's wrists, and a point under her ribs.

Sakura placed her hand on the women's left wrist where the cat had pointed; she closed her eyes and concentrated. She didn't know how long she'd been standing there, but eventually, she could feel it; the tiniest pulse of chakra, trying to flow through to the rest of her body, but being stopped.

She stepped back. "Do you have any medical supplies?" she asked. "I'd like to check this out further."

"You want to cut into her?" Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow.

She nodded.

"Alright then," he said to Yamato. "Let's get her what she needs."

* * *

After gathering supplies and sterilising the woman's skin, Sakura gently cut into her left wrist, directing chakra down through the scalpel to help direct her to where the woman's own chakra was coming from.

 _Ah, there._

Taking a pair of tweezers, she dug into the woman's wrist and pulled out a small, black object.

And then instantly, the woman started bleeding profusely. Dropping the tweezers and the black object into a bowl, Sakura quickly placed her hand on her wrist and stopped the bleeding, and closed the wound. When it was done, she stepped back and frowned.

Kakashi and Yamato were staring into the bowl. She picked the tweezers up and they all examined the strange little thing. It was round, metal, and maybe two centimetres across; but now that she held it up to the light, they could see a series of thin wires protruding from it, like eight little legs on a spider.

"Those must have been digging into her veins and arteries," Sakura said. "And that's why she started bleeding so much."

"What is it?" Kakashi muttered.

She shrugged, and turned back to the woman; holding her hand out, Sakura could sense a small, but persistent wave of chakra pooling and working its way up the woman's arm.

In a few moments, the cat Anbu spoke up from the wall. "Her chakra's more noticeable now."

"Then, this thing- whatever it is- has something to do with its suppression. I guess there are others embedded in her somewhere."

Kakashi sighed. "Fantastic." He nodded at Yamato, who directed the cat Anbu out of the room.

Sakura stepped back from the table and slid off her gloves and apron, and undid her hair. Glancing at Kakashi and Yamato, she felt that the atmosphere in the room had changed, and they were both staring at her in appraisal.

She sighed. "What is it?" she asked, warily.

"Sakura," Yamato said. "As I'm sure you've been told, this project is much higher-level than anything you've been assigned before. If you agreed to join, you'd need to start keeping a lot of secrets."

"If?" she repeated. "Haven't I already agreed?"

"You can leave now, if you like," Kakashi said.

Suddenly she was worried. "Would I be joining Anbu?" she asked; she didn't think that was something she could do. She was a doctor, after all; she'd heard stories of what the medic-nin who were recruited into Anbu ended up using their skills for.

"No," Kakashi replied. "I wouldn't let you do that."

"You wouldn't let me?"

"I'm not letting anyone join, at the moment," he corrected. "So, what will it be?"

"I'm in," she said.

He nodded. "Okay, then. First things first. Orochimaru is dead."

She blinked. "Wait, what? No- he's in the prison right here, he's cooperating-"

"Well, that will remain the official story," Yamato said.

"There was a break-in, seven months ago. He was killed. He wasn't the only one, but it was clear he was the target."

"Seven months ago?!" she exclaimed, shocked. "Is that- and that's why Sasuke left, isn't it?!" The pieces were starting to fall into place.

He nodded. "Whoever was behind this was highly skilled, and they're still out there, along with an alarmingly high number of Orochimaru's previous associates. Our sources knew there were a lot of them, but they were divided, and scattered; but they're not anymore."

"Orochimaru's death- the first one- left a power vacuum," Yamato said, taking over. "The war, the trouble with Akatsuki, and Kabuto's plans stopped anyone from stepping into it. But once the war was over, it didn't take very long for them to start connecting."

"How many of them are there?" she asked.

"We don't know. Information was always patchy. That's why we need our informants so badly."

Sasuke, and his former team-mates, he meant. No wonder they seemed to have so much power.

* * *

Sakura sat at her kitchen table, dazedly sorting through the documents Kakashi had given her. From tomorrow, she'd be giving up some of her work load at the hospital, and going through the archives with Sasuke's team to speed up their efforts. It seemed the three of them were struggling with the notes and specimens concerning Orochimaru's experiments.

 _And Juugo and Suigetsu are living, breathing examples of those experiments_ , she thought numbly. _…as is Yamato_. Tonight had certainly been a night of revelations.

It was late, but there was no way she was sleeping yet. She felt like an idiot for not having anticipated this possibility. Orochimaru's power and influence had been massive; of _course_ that hadn't gone away when he died.

There was a knock at the door, and she flinched as Sasuke walked in.

"…Sakura," he said. "I saw your lights were still on. I'm not disturbing you?"

She shook her head. "Come in," she said with a sigh.

He walked over and stared down at the paperwork on the table. "What's this?" he asked, voice going cold.

She shrugged. "Surprise. I guess you'd find out tomorrow anyway. I'm joining the club."

"That's- unwise," he said. "Kakashi shouldn't have done that to you."

"He gave me a choice, and I said yes," she said, gruffly, standing up and pushing her chair away. She walked over to the kitchen cupboards, and searched around until she found the powder she was after, and started mixing it into a glass of water.

Sasuke frowned. "He wants you to go through the experiment records, doesn't he," he said, taking the glass from her.

"Yes," she said back, "and I'll do it because it needs to be done. I can understand why so few people have been told about this, but I know I can help. I _will_ help." It was so soon after the end of the war, after all; the ninja and citizens of Konoha would be apprehensive to discover so large a threat remained.

Sasuke finished the glass of water and handed it back to her. "And you're fine with working with Juugo and Suigetsu. And me."

"Yes, Sasuke, I'm fine with it. And at some stage tomorrow I'll be giving you another check-up. You shouldn't be needing more of this after the dose I gave you on Friday."

Sasuke turned and headed for the door. "Whatever you say," he said, giving her a small wave as he left.

* * *

A/N: …so guess who completely forgot to put Sasuke's rinnegan in this fic _ . Oops. Let's just say it's not there- how did that happen, you ask? Ummm a wizard did it.

Also there's an awful lot of plot and info-dumping in this chapter and a saddening lack of NarSas, but don't worry, it's coming ^_^.

 _Coming up next: Naruto Uzumaki turns eighteen, and Konoha celebrates in exactly the way you'd expect._


	19. Happy Birthday, Part I

**Happy Birthday, Part I (Sasuke's POV)**

 _In which Naruto Uzumaki turns eighteen, and Konoha celebrates in exactly the way you'd expect._

* * *

It was Naruto's 18th birthday, and the town of Konoha was sparing no expense or effort to make their hero's day memorable; and what did their hero love more than ramen? Nothing, as far as they knew; and so Ichiraku's had been commissioned to create a brand new flavour, dubbing it "Naruto Ramen", and an endless supply of it was available all day, free of charge for the entire town.

Apparently, pulling off this feat had required weeks of preparation and a host of volunteers, and yet had been done in complete secrecy. And so the day had arrived, and suddenly the streets around Ichiraku's had been turned into one mass outdoor restaurant, crammed with tables and benches, balloons and streamers everywhere, with a swarm of orange-clad waitresses rushing around delivering steaming bowls of "Naruto Ramen" to the delighted masses.

The people of Konoha were, in a word, insane.

All this Sasuke explained to Juugo and Suigetsu with a completely straight face, and yet they'd refused to believe he was serious until he'd accompanied them downtown to see it for themselves. They stood on a rooftop a few blocks away from Ichiraku's, watching the madness play out below them.

"Sasuke," Suigetsu muttered. "Just what kind of town is this?"

He'd asked himself the same question, on more than one occasion. "Welcome to Konoha," he just said, with a shrug.

Children and adults were swarming around the streets, and the constant flow of ramen, music, and (evidently) alcohol and sugary drinks was creating an overwhelmingly festival-like atmosphere that made Sasuke want to crawl away and hide somewhere. _So many people_ , he thought. And yet Naruto was probably loving this.

"Can we go get some?" Juugo asked.

"It's not even lunchtime yet," Sasuke said back, feeling extremely reluctant to get any closer to the gigantic crowd.

Then suddenly a commotion erupted from the next block and the three of them shifted their gaze to see the birthday boy himself fleeing down the street, shrieking, being hotly pursued by a gang of scantily-clad women wearing far too much make-up, to the delight of the rambunctious crowd of people around them.

"Naruto-kun~~!" the gang of girls called out, following close behind. "You're eighteen now honey!"

"It's on the house just for you, Naruto-kun!"

Suigetsu smirked from beside him as they watched Naruto frantically escape through the crowd into an alley, a panicked expression plastered all over his face, as the adults around him laughed or covered the eyes of their children. "Isn't he running in the wrong direction?" Suigetsu commented.

"Sasuke," Juugo asked. "Who are those women?"

Sasuke declined to comment. In the next moment Naruto had disappeared from the alley, but judging by the spontaneous cheers and chanting of "Happy Birthday" coming from the ramen hub, he'd escaped safely right into the midst of his adoring fans.

"Come on," Suigetsu said, pulling at his sleeve. "I'm hungry! It's free, you know!"

"We should say happy birthday too," Juugo added.

He sighed. They had work to do. It was bad enough that Sakura had taken the day off to prepare for Naruto's party tonight. They were really starting to make progress with the research Orochimaru had been doing in chakra suppression and control. Surely that was more important than free ramen.

"Hey Juugo, when's your birthday?" Suigetsu asked, as he grabbed Sasuke's wrist and pulled him along the rooftop.

"No idea," Juugo replied, following closely behind.

"Really? Wanna share mine?" Suigetsu suggested as the three of them leapt down the building into the crowd of people.

"Okay," he replied. "How old are we turning?"

Sasuke frowned, and instinctively stepped closer to Juugo as the two of them dragged him through the mass of people towards a table. They just didn't seem bothered at all that people were staring at them.

They sat down at the end of a half-empty table, and in no time an orange-clad waitress had placed three bowls of ramen in front of them. Suigetsu winked and waved at her as she wandered away, and she giggled. "Thanks, Hana-chan," he called out after her.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. _Hana-chan?_ "Suigetsu-" he began.

"It's good," Juugo interrupted, and Sasuke turned to see him already digging into his ramen.

 _Hey, hang on_ , Sasuke thought. _These two are settling in here!_ The thought filled him with a strange sense of apprehension. He let out a frustrated breath and picked up a pair of chopsticks, gazing in suspicion at the bowl of noodles which, as suspected, was swarming with those white-and-pink swirled fishcakes called _naruto_. How creative.

He looked up and glanced through the crowd, where a bigger mass of people were gathering on the other side of the temporary ramen restaurant, and where a constant stream of laughs and _happy birthdays_ could be heard.

Everyone around him seemed to be having a great time today, celebrating that idiot's birthday. But Sasuke wondered just how many of them realized that the blonde boy running around among them was just a clone.

* * *

He left Juugo and Suigetsu to their ramen; there was no way he was spending any more time in that crowd. He leapt over rooftops, relaxing slightly as the crowd became thinner the further away he got. By the time he reached the outskirts of town, the streets were practically abandoned. There he found Naruto, perched on a high rooftop hidden out of sight.

Sasuke landed neatly a little away from him. Naruto was looking unusually sombre, leaning heavily against the wall, staring off blankly into space, looking pale and downcast. Sasuke was so alarmed at the sight that he spoke without even thinking.

"Naruto," he called. "What's wrong?"

Naruto turned and looked at him, his face expressionless and yet those deep blue eyes of his so full of emotion that Sasuke wondered if it was too late to escape. _Why did I even come here_? he asked himself, scornfully. Obviously if Naruto was off hiding away from the town, something was wrong. Sasuke didn't want any part of _that_.

 _And yet here you are, you moron,_ he thought.

"Oh, Sasuke," Naruto said after a moment. "…what are you doing here?"

"That's what I should be asking _you_ ," he said. "Why aren't you out there celebrating your birthday? It's crazy out there, you know."

"Oh, yeah," Naruto said, "isn't it amazing? My own ramen. Awesome." He gave a blank little laugh.

Sasuke's sense of alarm notched up a level. "Seriously," he said. "What's _wrong_?"

"Nothing," Naruto said back. "Why?"

Why? _Because you look like you've been_ _ **crying**_ _, that's why. It's your_ _ **birthday**_ _._

Maybe he didn't want to know. He probably shouldn't ask. He should probably just leave now, while he could. Because maybe on the surface, maybe to an outside observer, it might seem like in the past few years Naruto had gotten everything he'd ever wanted, and if he ever wanted anything else, he had an entire village of grateful, adoring fans willing to give it to him. What would he have to feel sad about?

But Sasuke knew better. The kinds of things they had been through- that wasn't a hurt that ever went away. Naruto was a bottomless pit of need, and always would be.

 _Seriously, get out now_ , Sasuke told himself.

"You can tell me, if you want," he said, shifting, feeling beyond awkward. "…I'll listen."

"It's nothing, really," Naruto repeated.

"I doubt it's _nothing_ ," Sasuke said. "You look awful."

Naruto blinked, and stared back at him, and then scowled.

"Oi," he said. "That was mean. It's my birthday, you know!"

"I do know," he said, feeling slightly relieved. "What happened?"

Naruto sighed, and turned his face away. Sasuke wandered closer and sat down a little away from him. They had a pretty good view of the Hokage Monument from here.

"It's not even anything _bad_ ," Naruto said. "I got a visit this morning, from- mm…how do I explain? Did you ever even meet my old teacher?"

"Jiraiya?" Sasuke asked; he couldn't have meant Kakashi.

"Uh, yeah," Naruto replied. " _His_ teacher came to see me this morning."

"That's not possible," Sasuke scoffed. "Someone that old?"

"Well," Naruto went on. "He's not entirely human. I don't know how he even knew it was my birthday. Anyway, he gave me some of sensei's old things. Kunai and books and stuff. It was nice."

"And?"

"And, well. That's it. Then he left." Naruto shrugged, and gave a sad little smile. "See? Nothing."

Sasuke frowned. He'd been filled in on the things that had happened while he'd been gone, so he knew that Naruto had spent two years travelling with that guy, and how much he'd meant to Naruto; so was this just sadness, missing his old teacher that had died?

"…he said they'd be proud of me. Jiraiya and…my parents."

 _I seriously should not have come out here_ , he thought.

"He picked a hell of a time to say something sentimental like that," Sasuke growled. "Honestly, why say something so depressing on a day you're supposed to enjoy?"

Naruto took a deep breath. "I'm sure he didn't mean it to be depressing. I don't know."

 _Well,_ _ **I**_ _know_. Sasuke had not been entirely surprised to find out who Naruto's parents were; he'd seen pictures of the Forth, and the similarities were too striking to be ignored. And Sasuke had _met_ him that one time; it was inconceivable that anyone who had known Minato Namikaze wouldn't have guessed that Naruto was his son. And yet they'd kept the secret anyway. _Yes, welcome to Konoha._

And so for the past few years, he guessed, Naruto had spent this day knowing it was also the anniversary of his parents' deaths.

Sasuke felt a twinge of guilt run through him. He was so used to this guy floating through life with that moronic smile plastered on his face, he had no idea what to do with a Naruto whose smile had failed him.

"Naruto-" he began, but he was interrupted.

"Anyway," Naruto said, standing up abruptly. "I guess I should go try some of that ramen for myself."

Sasuke scrambled to his feet as well. "Naruto-" he tried again.

"Are you coming to Sakura's party tonight?" he asked, cutting him off. "You're coming, right?"

"Uh," he said, remembering Sakura's veiled hints of what she'd do to him if he didn't make an appearance. "Yeah. Of course."

Naruto smiled, and Sasuke thought that a little more of it reached his eyes this time. "Good," he said.

* * *

It was mistake. Sasuke may have never actually been to a party before, but that shouldn't have been necessary for him to know that he _detested_ them.

At least he wasn't the only one. As a particularly loud peel of laughter hit them, both he and Shikamaru let out frustrated, resigned sighs. They sat as far out of the way as they could get in a corner of Sakura's living room, hunched over a chess board, while everyone else in their age group got ragingly drunk around them.

"…troublesome," muttered Shikamaru.

Sasuke sighed, and moved his knight forward. He'd been ordered to stay at least two hours; well, maybe Sakura would be too drunk to notice if he left earlier.

Another shriek of laughter reached them over the blaring music; in the centre of the room, a throng of people were gathered around Naruto, handing him presents. A massive pile of wrapping paper, along with an infinite number of empty plastic cups, was starting to take over the floor.

"Sasuke-kun!" sung Sakura, slinking over to him and handing him another oddly-coloured drink. Frowning, he took a sip, then wrinkled his nose and added it to the growing collection next to him.

"No good, huh?" asked Ino.

"Let's try a screwdriver," Sakura suggested, and they skipped off, giggling.

Sasuke stared at Shikamaru, and they both shrugged.

At least it was the real Naruto, this time. And he seemed to have cheered up. He was in a genuine good mood, as far as Sasuke could tell; he remained slightly suspicious, though. And how anyone could enjoy having that many girls slung over them, he would never know. He glowered, glaring at the crowd. Must they be so _loud?_

"You'll have to concentrate a lot harder to beat me," Shikamaru spoke above the music.

"How could anyone concentrate with _that_ ," Sasuke muttered, nodding at the throng around Naruto.

So the boy who'd grown up not even knowing who his parents had been, with no friends or family at all, was turning eighteen with a dedicated group of revellers around him. For Sasuke, the difference was astonishing, after being away for so long.

It had been strange, in the hospital, to have a constant stream of people coming in and out of their room, eager to visit the idiotic blonde. Not all of them were just fans or worshippers. It seemed they were his _friends_.

Sasuke had never had _friends_ , though he'd had his share of fans and worshippers. He understood loneliness, but he didn't quite understand the appeal of friends, in the usual sense of the word. But Naruto had always wanted them, and now he had them, and Sasuke was, in his own way, pleased for him. If only they weren't so loud or clingy.

He let out another frustrated sigh, turned his attention back to the game, and managed to capture one of Shikamaru's bishops. That did improve his mood, a little.

"Try this one, Sasuke!" called Sakura, handing him an appallingly yellow concoction. "You can't even taste the alcohol, I swear!"

Sasuke thought the taste of the orange juice was worse than any alcohol could ever taste. He took one sip and then discarded it.

"I don't think it's gonna happen, Sakura," Ino said, slumping over her friend's shoulder.

Sakura pouted. "Don't you think tipsy Sasuke would be totally cute, though?"

There was a loud burst of laughter from the crowd and several hoots, catcalls, and shouts of congratulations. Sasuke glanced over at the crowd warily to see which present had evoked this response.

"Oh, it's your engagement photo, Sakura!" Ino said with a grin, grabbing her wrist and pulling her away from the darkened corner.

Sasuke suppressed a groan; Shikamaru didn't.

"I told her not to give him that," Shikamaru said with a frown. "This is such a diplomatic mess."

Maybe it was, but this whole week the two of them had both seemed to enjoy their 'engagement' immensely, evidently finding the whole thing hilarious.

Sakura had made her way to the centre of the crowd and Naruto swung her up and twirled her around with a huge grin, calling her _Mrs. Uzumaki_. Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned back to the game. He figured he could win this in three or four moves, and then he would make his escape, before the girls came back and continued their attempt to make him drink.

He was only slightly disappointed when Shikamaru sprung a sneaky trap and ended up beating him. _Figures_. And with both Sakura and Ino otherwise occupied, he was able to slink out of the party unnoticed. It was far too loud to go back to his apartment next door, so he escaped up to the rooftop terrace that Sakura had claimed as her own, relieved to find it empty.

Parties, he decided, were most definitely not his thing.

* * *

 _Coming up next:_ Naruto asks for, and actually gets, a very special birthday gift from Sasuke. *winks suggestively*.

A/N: this chapter was meant to be 100% happy, oops _ . Oh well, the next chapter definitely has a happy ending! …*cough*.

And THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to my wonderful reviewers, I love you all!


	20. Happy Birthday, Part II

**Happy Birthday, Part II (Sasuke's POV)**

In which Naruto asks for, and actually gets, a very special birthday gift from Sasuke. *winks suggestively*.

A/N: !NSFW warning!

* * *

The noise from downstairs was gradually quietening as the party died down and people either passed out or left. Glancing up at the sky from the couch, Sasuke could see the faintest hints of light appearing. He sighed, and turned back to his book. No point in sleeping now. He still planned on working in the morning, though it was clear that no one else in his age group would be capable of it.

He heard footsteps climbing the stairs. _Naruto or Sakura?_ He wondered.

"Sa-su-ke~," came Naruto's impossibly chipper voice. "Everyone went home! I'm so lonely…"

Sasuke scoffed and threw him a look; Naruto squinted, and stumbled as he approached the couch. It was still dark, and the light from the lamp didn't reach far.

"Keep me company," Naruto whined, falling onto the couch and sliding up to lay next to Sasuke. "I'm _bored_."

"Go to bed," Sasuke ordered.

"Come with me," Naruto ordered back. Sasuke reached over and smacked him on the head. "Hey, ouch!" He snuggled in tighter, resting his head on Sasuke's shoulder. He positively _reeked_ of beer and wine.

"Are you sure you're not drunk?" Sasuke asked, glancing at the other's flushed cheeks and bright eyes.

Naruto shook his head, hiding his face in Sasuke's collar. "I don't get drunk," he said, with a little hiccup.

Sasuke wondered if one of the moron's friends had invented a jutsu to get around that. It wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility. He shifted, and tried to push Naruto away, but the moron only growled and snuggled tighter. Sasuke sighed, picked up his book, and resumed reading. Resistance, it seemed, was futile. "Don't growl at me, fox boy," he said.

"What are you reading?" Naruto asked.

"A history of the Water Country," he replied.

"Seriously?" Naruto said, turning his face to squint at the book, reaching out to grab at the pages. "Sasuke, you're so smart! Look at all this kanji…ugh, god, it's _awful_ …mmm, what's this one…"

Sasuke pushed the book away before this turned into a Japanese lesson. He stared down at the blonde glued to his side, knowing he should send him away. "What do you want, Naruto? Everyone else has politely gone back to their own apartment, why are you still here?"

Naruto laughed; with his body pressed up against Sasuke's, the vibrations went right through him, and he fidgeted.

"Half of them are asleep on Sakura's floor," he said. "And besides, you haven't given me a birthday present yet."

He scoffed. "It's too late for that, moron. Your birthday's over." It had been over for hours.

"Ohh," said Naruto. "Sasuke, that's _bad_. You're a bad person. Really bad. Like, _really_ -"

Sasuke clamped his hand down over the stupid idiot's mouth. Naruto bit at his fingers and he yelped and pulled them away.

"Good lord," he muttered. "Fine! What do you want?"

Naruto shifted to rest on Sasuke's chest, and stared up at him with unblinking blue eyes. "Hmm…let me think…what do I want from Sasuke…mmm…everything," he said.

Sasuke frowned. "I can't give you everything."

Naruto sighed, wrapping his arms around Sasuke's waist. "Ah, well, how about half of everything-"

"No."

"30%?"

"Forget it."

Naruto snaked his hand up under Sasuke's shirt. "10%?"

Sasuke's breathing hitched in his throat as Naruto's fingers brushed lightly over his skin. This would not do at all. He took a slow, steady breath. _This is wrong, I shouldn't be doing this_ , he started to think, but stopped himself. _Okay, I feel like this is wrong. I feel- longing._

God, that was getting really annoying, really fast. Hadn't he been doing better, this past week? Didn't he deserve some kind of reward?

Well, why not. This could all be passed off as a _birthday present_ later on.

"Naruto," he said. "I'll give you 10%. If you do exactly what I say. _Exactly_."

Naruto pushed himself up and practically squealed, his eyes wide and bright with happiness as he pawed at Sasuke's shirt. "Seriously? For real? Do I get to choose which 10% I want, because I'm going straight for your dic-"

Sasuke clamped his hand back over Naruto's mouth and pushed him all the way off; and then in an instant he had slid off the couch and was on his knees in front of Naruto. He grabbed the blonde's hands and held them tight behind his back.

"Naruto," he hissed, bringing his face close to the other's, their noses practically touching. "Shut. Up."

Naruto gulped and flushed bright red. "Uh, yes- sir!" he squeaked, before clamping his mouth shut.

Sasuke waited a moment to see if the moron could actually stay silent for longer than 30 seconds, and then he nodded. "Keep your hands like that," he ordered.

Naruto bit his lip and his blush deepened.

The problem with Naruto was that he never stayed still, and he was sneaky; you never knew where his hands were going to be or what he was going to do next. It was really very annoying, and Sasuke had never managed to get the upper hand. Well, he would just have to find a way.

Sasuke reached out and ran his fingers down Naruto's chest, undoing the buttons as he went. Then he slid the shirt over his shoulders, and when he reached Naruto's hands, still gripped tight behind his back, he quickly wrapped the shirt around them, giving a quick tug to see if it was secure.

Yes, this would do nicely.

Naruto wriggled and tried to pull his hands apart. "Oi Sas- mmph!" Sasuke glared and he shut up, instantly. _If only that worked all the time_ , he thought with a sigh.

On his knees with Naruto seated on the couch in front of him, Sasuke had to reach up and pull Naruto down a little to kiss him; he brushed his lips ever-so-gently against the other's, feeling the warmth, the heat of them; Naruto's breath against his skin. Then he leant down to place a light kiss on his shoulder, running his hands up and down his arms, slowly, and then again. Mm, this was nice; getting to touch, explore, without the moron clamping onto him and never letting go. Sasuke nuzzled into his neck and breathed, and Naruto moaned.

When he looked up, he could see Naruto biting his bottom lip hard, his eyes wide and greedy.

 _It would be better_ , Sasuke thought, _if he also couldn't SEE me_.

Sasuke sat back on his heels, and reached out to touch the black tank top Naruto was wearing. "Are you particularly attached to this?" he asked.

Naruto shook his head, blinking in surprise and frowning in confusion.

"Good." Sasuke made quick work of the shirt, ripping it apart so he could get it off without untying Naruto's hands. Then he tied it deftly around his eyes, smirking when Naruto yelped in protest.

"Sasuke, _no_!" he hissed.

He paused, and let go. "No?" he asked. "Well, if you really don't want-"

Naruto gasped. "What?! No, I _do_ want-"

"Good," Sasuke repeated, and then tangling his hands in Naruto's hair, he pulled him down for another kiss, effectively shutting the other up.

Naruto moaned, and Sasuke smiled. Yes, this was a very good opportunity. He nipped and sucked at his bottom lip, and ran his tongue over the slight swelling from where Naruto had been biting. He pulled away slightly when Naruto tried to deepen this kiss, then came back to continue. He ran his hand down the side of Naruto's neck, resting it gently against his throat; he could feel his pulse racing and heat emanating from his skin.

"Sasuke…" Naruto groaned, leaning forward when Sasuke moved back. He pulled against the restraints and pouted. "Don't _tease_."

Resting back on his heels, Sasuke ran his eyes up and down the blonde's bare torso, gazing at his pouting mouth and flushed cheeks; he wondered why on earth he hadn't thought to do this sooner. He could _look_ as much as he wanted, without those damn blue eyes staring back at him!

"Lie down," he ordered, and Naruto did so, grumbling.

"Who knew you had this kind of kink, jerk," he said, scowling, and shifting his arms so he could lay flat.

"Hmm, who knew," Sasuke agreed, smiling, secure in the knowledge that Naruto couldn't see him; he gave him a quick, placating kiss before seating himself on Naruto's hips, the smile deepening to a grin when he could feel Naruto responding to him below.

(He would be horrified to know that Naruto, dedicated to becoming the world's number one Sasuke expert, could easily hear the smile in his voice, and it sent a thrill of happiness running right through him.)

Sasuke ran a finger lazily up Naruto's left arm, down his collarbone, and down the middle of his chest, and Naruto shivered and tensed. He had the most beautiful skin. The most beautiful arms. The most beautiful face-

 _Oh thank god he can't see my face_ , Sasuke thought, pretty sure that his eyes were glazed over and he was outright gawking at the moment. He shook his head, sighing.

Naruto grumbled when Sasuke's hands stopped roaming. "There's a word for people like you," he said, "and it starts in _cock_ and ends in _tease_."

Having been called worse, Sasuke just pressed his hand down harder as he brushed past Naruto's stomach, reaching the top of his pants. He leant down and kissed him, biting his lip hard and then licking, and purring when Naruto opened his mouth and let him in. Naruto groaned and writhed under him, trying to free his legs from where Sasuke had him pinned.

Sasuke just pushed down harder with his hands, his right hand on his chest, and the left playing with Naruto's zipper and the blonde let out a yell against Sasuke's mouth.

"Sasuke," he whined, turning his head away. "This isn't fair! Ugh, I should have figured you had this in you…"

Sasuke tsked and angled his face to nip at Naruto's jaw and throat. "Okay then," he murmured against his skin. "Since it's you're birthday, after all. I'll let you choose." He was feeling pretty generous, since so far this was seeming more like a gift for _him_.

Naruto's breathing hitched in his throat and his pulse started racing. "Um," he said. "Choose what?"

Sasuke bit down. "Hands, or mouth?" he asked.

Naruto gasped and tensed, and Sasuke felt him harden instantly under him. "H- hands," he panted. "Please."

Sasuke had to bite back a laugh at his impromptu manners. He nuzzled into Naruto's neck and resumed playing with the front of his zipper, while running his other hand lazily up and down his bare arms and chest.

"Ah, you _bastard_ , I even said please!" Naruto protested. "Just _touch_ me!"

Sasuke growled at his impatience and tugged the zipper down in one quick motion, and shoved his hand down the front of Naruto's pants.

The blonde shrieked and his hips buckled upwards, nearly tipping Sasuke off. Sasuke lay down on top of Naruto's chest and kissed him hard, sucking his tongue into his mouth as he gripped him tight with his hand.

"Mmm, _yes_ ," Naruto moaned against him, pushing himself further into Sasuke's hand, and trying to shake off Sasuke's legs where they held him tight in place.

"This is what you want?" Sasuke asked, shifting his hips as he moved his hand up and down.

" _Yes_ ," Naruto hissed.

"You called me a _tease_ ," Sasuke hummed, biting at his neck and nuzzling into his shoulder. "That wasn't nice. Maybe I should just stop?"

"No, I fucking _love_ it, okay?" Naruto said with a yelp. "It's the best damn present I've ever gotten- yes, _there_!"

"You've got a filthy mouth," Sasuke said, gripping his hand tight around the base of Naruto's cock and moving his thumb up and down like he knew he loved.

By now Sasuke could move his hand up and down smoother, faster; he moaned into Naruto's skin, feeling his own pulse quickening, his blood racing.

"Sa'ske…" Naruto groaned back, wrenching his arms beneath him. " _Yes_ …you're _amazing_ …"

"Naruto, shh," Sasuke said, seeing the sky lighten; it was almost morning. "People will hear you."

Naruto bucked up against his hand and Sasuke grinned, knowing he had a voyeuristic kink. He kissed him hard, sucking and biting his tongue, gripping his lips with his teeth, and all the while brushing his hand up and down Naruto's length harder and faster.

"Yes, Sasuke," Naruto whimpered. "Sasuke…"

"Come on then, dead-last," he said, whispering into his ear, rolling his hips against Naruto's, and gripping hard; Naruto shuddered and arched his back.

Sasuke leaned back so he could watch Naruto quickly coming undone under him. His cheeks were flushed and he was panting hard, chest heaving up and down, arms straining against the restraints that held him in place. Sasuke slowed, and Naruto groaned, and bit his lip; Sasuke marvelled at the control he had. He _loved_ this.

"Sasuke, _please_ ," Naruto panted.

Sasuke resumed his pace, stroking him hard, fast, and without restraint now.

" _Yes_ ," Naruto moaned, arching higher. "Yes, Sasuke!" he cried, and came into Sasuke's hand, shuddering violently against him. Sasuke continued to stroke him as he came and cried out in a hoarse voice, trembling, his breathing short and harsh.

Sasuke slipped off his chest onto his side, and reached down to tug the restraints off Naruto's hands. And as expected, Naruto clamped onto him instantly, moaning and moving his hips against Sasuke's side as he gradually, slowly came down from his high.

Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke's back and nestled his head against his neck, whimpering and shaking. Sasuke gently ran his hand up and down his back, and Naruto practically purred, and nipped his neck.

He didn't move to take off the makeshift blindfold, so Sasuke was content to leave it there, and let his eyes roam over Naruto's still-trembling body, curling in tighter against Sasuke's chest.

"S'ske," Naruto murmured, still panting. "That was _so_ good."

"Mm," he replied, still running his hands across Naruto's skin.

"Happy birthday to me," Naruto said with a hoarse chuckle.

He was shivering now, and Sasuke tugged a blanket off the back of the couch and let it fall over his shoulders.

"We were _loud_ ," Naruto went on, and Sasuke smirked.

"Don't worry about it," he said, feeling secure in the silence seals he had all over the rooftops. Of course it wouldn't have stopped any lurking Anbu from catching an eyeful, but god knows they'd seen worse.

"Ah," Naruto breathed against his neck. "So prepared. Jerk…"

And in the next instant he was asleep, a dead weight against Sasuke's chest, pinning him to the couch.

Sasuke sighed. He'd have to get up soon, get ready for work. He wondered if Naruto really was drunk. That would be convenient. Maybe he wouldn't remember any of this in a few hours.

Sasuke considered reaching over for his book, but couldn't be bothered; instead he just kept both arms wrapped around the blonde and watched him sleep, still with the blindfold in place. This feeling of contentment, fluttering around in his stomach, was not at _all_ welcome, but he figured he could always just pass this off as a birthday gift later on.

 _Don't get used to this, dead-last_ , he thought, glaring at the boy asleep on top of him, brushing a hand through his hair. _Don't you dare get used to this._

* * *

 _Coming up next:_ _a very reluctant and slightly hungover Naruto is sent on a mission with Yamato, and has an encounter with an unpleasant memory from the past._

A/N: AHHHH finally! This chapter has been written for so long, so glad it's time to release it _ . Now if these two could just get their act together, maybe they could be having sexy fun times every day. You know, instead of the angst I'm about to unleash.

A quick shout-out to my followers, I get a huge thrill watching that number go up and up, *blows kisses*, THANK YOU!


	21. Cursed

**Cursed (Naruto's POV)**

 _In which a very reluctant and slightly hungover Naruto is sent on a mission with Yamato, and has a shocking encounter with an unpleasant memory from the past._

* * *

Naruto was feeling really, really relaxed; he was having maybe the best sleep he'd had in a loooooong time. And yet, there was this persistent, jabbing noise in his head, going on and on and disturbing the wonderful dreams he was having. _Damn it, can't a guy get any sleep?!_

His eyes fluttered open and all those happy relaxed feelings melted away. Instead he felt heavy and drowsy, and slightly nauseous, and there was a nin-ken staring at him. None of these were good things-

 _Ahhhh, nin-ken?_

He pushed himself up and yelped. "Shiba-kun! What are you doing here?"

The little dog was standing on his legs, nipping at his feet. "Who gave you permission to take a day off, brat? Kakashi has work for you!" he said.

Naruto groaned and rubbed his sleepy eyes, holding a hand against his pounding head. "Oh come on, give a guy a break! Don't you know it was my birthday last night? Ahh….good times…" Naruto fell back onto the couch and grinned as memories came flooding back. "Yeah…good times…"

Shiba bit him.

Naruto yelped again. "Shiba! I don't _wanna_ work today!"

"Tell that to the Hokage," Shiba said.

He growled. Fine, he _would_. He would tell Kakashi-sensei exactly what he could do with his mission. And then he was going home, getting into bed, and re-living Sasuke's birthday present over and over again.

He giggled, instantly delirious. "Okay, let's get going! Hmm….coffee, and then we'll get going!"

Naruto made his way down to Sakura's apartment, the little dog nimbly following behind. In Sakura's living room he found Lee and Tenten passed out on the couch, with Chouji on the floor next to them. In Sakura's bedroom he found the girl herself, with Ino cuddled on one side, and Sai on the other. He smirked.

"Sakura-chan~~~" he called out softly. "Give me coffee…"

His pink-haired friend moaned softly and rolled over.

Shiba jumped up onto the bed, tail wagging happily. He gave Sakura's foot a little lick. Sakura shrieked and sat up, wide-eyed and staring around her.

"Oh, Sakura, you're awake? Awesome," Naruto said.

"Sakura-chan!" Shiba said, jumping into her lap and nuzzling her cheek.

"Huh? Oh, Shiba-chan? What are you doing here?"

"I came to collect Naruto, but he's malfunctioning. He needs coffee." Shiba said, nuzzling closer as Sakura scratched his ears.

"Naruto?" she said, looking up. She scowled. "Can't you get your own coffee?"

"Oi Sakura…" murmured Ino from the bed, arms scrambling about trying to find where her friend had lain. "So loud…"

Sakura sighed, and made her way off the bed, grabbing hold of Naruto's wrist and pulling him out of her room.

"And I was having such a good sleep," she grumbled.

"Hey, don't blame me," Naruto retorted. "I got woken up, too!"

"And how does Shiba coming to collect you involve _me_?"

Naruto coughed. "Um. Well…"

She sighed. "Whatever. Coffee. And we'd better find you a shirt while we're at it," she said, "and maybe a treat for my favourite nin-ken?"

Shiba gave a happy little bark from behind them, and Naruto wondered to himself if that was all it took to win over the pack of monsters.

"And also," he went on, "maybe you could do something about this headache, just quickly?"

* * *

"But sensei…" Naruto whined.

"No buts, Naruto! It's a quick one. You'll be back in no time."

"But I'm _tired_ …"

Kakashi frowned at him, and leant back in his seat. "Oh, I see. Not capable of performing? So only two of your age-mates are worth anything. When I was your age, I'd be out all night every night and be back for missions the next day, no problem-"

Naruto heard a familiar scoff coming from behind him, and turned to see Sasuke leaning on the door, smirking at him. Just past him, he could spy Shikamaru sitting at his desk across the hall, sculling the world's largest cup of coffee.

"Don't bother, Kakashi. Might as well just send Yamato alone for this one," Sasuke said.

Naruto scowled. "Hey, I'm not stupid, you can't just use reverse psychiatry on me and make me do this!"

Sasuke just laughed, pushed passed him, dumped some papers on the desk, and left the room. Naruto flushed red when Sasuke brushed closer to him. Mm. That had been one great birthday present.

"Just do us a favour and do it, Naruto!" called out Shikamaru, interrupting his happy thoughts. "We need to question this guy."

Naruto's scowl deepened. "Ugh! Okay, okay, Naruto-the-Great to the rescue again! Where's Yamato? Let's get this over and done with…"

Kakashi nodded. "He's waiting for you at the gates. You're so considerate, Naruto-kun," he said with a happy, shining expression that made Naruto want to punch him.

"Ahh…why do I have to do everything…" he muttered as he left the room. Really, it was like he was the only one in this town that did any work.

* * *

"It's too good of a chance to miss," Yamato was explaining as he and Naruto flew through the trees, heading dead west. They'd been running for about an hour now. "This is the leader of a splinter-group we've been tracking. Our sources say there was an altercation yesterday and now he's on his own, possibly injured."

"Altercation? What do you mean?"

"Hmm….a mutiny, probably."

"And the rest of the group?"

"Moved on. If we could just catch this one, we might get some good information. But we're stretched too thin; usually there'd be reserves held in check for last minute missions like this. So I need you to-"

"Yeah, yeah, shadow clones right? One-man army."

"Right. Keep him occupied, wear him out, don't kill him. I'll knock him out. The particulars of that part of the plan are-"

"-classified, because of some Anbu shit, right?"

Yamato choked, and coughed. "…uh, right."

He stopped running, and came to rest on a tree branch; Naruto joined him.

"These are the coordinates."

"Yeah, there's definitely a shinobi of some kind pretty near here. Doesn't feel that strong."

"Be careful, Naruto; don't make assumptions. We have some suspicions about this guy. Follow me quietly, I'm going to track him."

Yamato made some unfamiliar seals with his hands, and then began leaping nimbly from tree branch to tree branch, pausing on each for a second. Naruto followed behind, doing his best to be subtle and Anbu-like. That wasn't his best trait, but his sneaking skills had improved thanks to working with Kiba's team these past few months.

Yamato stopped and signalled, pointing below. Naruto squinted, and eventually a sole figure came into view, trudging along the road with a noticeable limp. He had several dirty bandages wrapped around him.

 _What a joke_ , Naruto thought. _Such weak chakra, and he's injured?_ He didn't know why they'd had to wake him up for _this_. But at least it could be over quickly, and he could go home and sleep.

Without a second thought he leapt into action. "Kage-bunshin!" he yelled out, summoning three clones and jumping down into formation around the limping man.

Time slowed as Naruto got ready to attack, becoming attentive of every move his injured opponent made. And at first it seemed like the man didn't even realise they was there, or that he was surrounded; Naruto took a quick breath and moved in as the clones readied kunai and shuriken. This would be over very quickly indeed.

And then the man looked up, a wild, feral expression leaching from his eyes over his face, and he looked out at Naruto with such primal anger that Naruto almost stumbled in surprise.

"Don't. You. Touch. Me!" the man snarled out, falling into a crouching stance, and in an instant, his skin flared, deep black lines bursting from his neck and swarming down his shoulders and arms, and up over his face. The man shrieked, and lunged for Naruto with his bare hands, raw chakra leeching out of him.

"A curse seal?" Naruto cried, jumping back out of range; the man changed direction, lunging for a shadow clone and ripping it in two. "What the hell? Take him down now!" Naruto yelled at the remaining clones, and they all unleashed their weapons and then charged.

The man howled in outrage as he was hit with blades from all directions; he grabbed at the clones when they came into range, hissing, grabbing their arms, pulling them in and tearing into their throats with his teeth. And then he latched onto Naruto, biting into his arm before Naruto threw him across the clearing with a shriek.

 _Ugh, he bit me! You're going down!_

Naruto quickly summoned two more clones and prepared to attack. "Rasengan!" he cried, running straight for the man and unleashing the small ball of energy.

The man cried out when it hit him and fell to his knees, howling. Naruto pulled out a blade and prepared to charge again, but then Yamato dropped down behind the man and made some quick seals; the howling man shrieked once more and fell to the ground.

Naruto pulled up short, startled. The remaining clones popped out of existence as he slipped the blade away.

It was over.

"Naruto-kun," Yamato began, squatting down to examine their prisoner. "I believe I did say to not kill him?"

"He wouldn't die that easily," Naruto countered. "The curse seal protects them too well."

"Hmm. Perhaps. He's not dead, in any case; he won't wake now until I release this seal on him."

Naruto glared at him. "Captain! What's the deal? You could have given me a heads-up he was one of Orochimaru's damned cronies!"

Yamato sighed, and stood. "We knew he had connections, but we didn't know for sure he had this kind of power. But it'll make him a much more useful informant. Good job, Naruto."

Naruto huffed, and folded his arms. "Yamato-" he whined.

"Hmm, yes, very good job. Shall we get going?" He reached down and prepared to pick up the man.

"Don't strain yourself, old man," Naruto said, pushing Yamato out of the way and swinging the prisoner over his own shoulders. With a sigh, he started walking back in the direction of home.

* * *

He was still pouting as he skulked through town after being dismissed. People stopped him every now and then on the street, wishing him happy birthday again; Naruto tried to be pleasant, but he was annoyed. He suddenly felt like there were secrets being kept from him, and he didn't like it at all.

He was also _starving_. He headed straight for Ichiraku's, wondering if they still had any of that Naruto Ramen broth left. He had to admit, it had been exactly to his taste. Well, if the Hokage was treating him poorly, at least the town wasn't, he thought with a grin. It could be worse!

He was sitting at the counter wolfing down his second helping when a familiar face wandered past.

"Hey! Baa-chan!" he called out to Tsunade. She'd been gone for months now, leaving as soon as Naruto's new arm had healed.

She stopped and peered in at him. "Oh, Naruto-kun. How odd to see you here."

Ha. _Very funny_. "You missed my birthday, you know!" he said to her. "But I thought you were going to be gone for weeks still?"

She came into the shop and sat down next to him. "Something came up. I guess I'll have to get you some kind of present. Eighteen, huh?"

"Yep! I'm an adult now, you know!" he said, puffing out his chest. He was going to be earning a whole 5% more per mission, now- that meant 5% more ramen!

"Hmm," she said, looking unimpressed. "And have you been acting like one? Not giving anyone any trouble, are you?"

"Of course not," he said with a grin. "No-one's been working harder than me! I swear I've been on missions every day while you've been gone. And the clones are practically re-building this town by themselves!"

"That sounds ill-advised," Tsunade commented. "We had to kick them off the new hospital project."

"They've gotten loads better since then!" he declared.

"And I'm sure you're not working every day," she said.

He shrugged. "Pretty much! Impressive, right? I'm such good Hokage material!"

She frowned. "They're really letting you work that hard?"

He scoffed. "Letting me? More like _making_ me," he said. "But it's good money. Maybe I can even get a new place. Maybe I can even _build_ it!"

She narrowed her eyes, leaning on the counter. "Well, I absolutely forbid _that_ -"

"Oh, did you hear I'm engaged to Sakura-chan?" he interrupted. He grinned at the shock on her face, and proceeded to tell her all about the daimyo's mistake.

Meanwhile, something akin to rage whirled around in the back of his head, with a little voice insisting Tsunade's return on this particular day couldn't be a coincidence. And just what had she been doing for all these months, anyway?

* * *

Naruto collapsed onto his bed the moment he got home and was asleep in an instant, his anger at Kakashi-sensei for making him do that damn mission and at Yamato for not sharing certain important details forgotten in his exhaustion.

He fell into a deep, feverish sleep, waking with heated skin, stiff joints and an aching head full of- _images_.

Night had fallen outside the window and for a moment he was completely disorientated, not knowing what time it was. He groaned and rolled over onto his back, glancing at the clock. 11 pm.

Sasuke's birthday present had been- unique. It had really gotten under his skin. It wasn't the first time Sasuke had tried to immobilize him, though it was the first time he'd _succeeded_. And the blindfold had certainly been a first. Sasuke always got so annoyed when Naruto stared at him, so this particular kink made so much sense he was sure it would come back again.

Naruto wasn't sure how he felt about that; he loved watching Sasuke so much, how his skin turned different shades of pink and red, watching his muscles tense up, the way he arched his back, and bit his bottom lip; the way his movements became jagged, when he got close. The way his dark eyes burned and flared. The short but treasured look of contentment on his face after he came. It would be a real tragedy, not being able to see _that_. But if it kept Sasuke coming back for more, he'd tie the damn blindfold on himself, happily.

Mm…that wasn't why last night was so unique though. There had been something different; he couldn't quite place his finger on it.

Well, he was sure Sasuke would try to pass off last night as a birthday present. It wouldn't last. Naruto wasn't stupid; he couldn't _date_ Sasuke, Sasuke would never, ever agree to be his _boyfriend_. So Naruto would take what he could get. The boundaries of their relationship had always been blurry, anyway.

And it was clear that Sasuke enjoyed their encounters just as much as he did. He was almost _aggressive_ in his enjoyment, so _demanding_ ; every one of their encounters driven by _his_ need to feel good. The jerk was so selfish. He was lucky that Naruto loved it so much, making him feel good.

 _Oh,_ he thought; _wait. Maybe that's what it was._

Last night was different. _Last night was about_ _ **me**_ _._

Naruto pushed himself up and sat heavily on the side of his bed. Sasuke had been so different last night. So attentive; his hands had been _everywhere_. Naruto felt his cheeks redden at the memory. And unless he'd taken care of himself after Naruto had fallen asleep (he scoffed at that; that was _very_ unlikely), it really _had_ been all about him.

He wasn't sure what to think about that. He frowned, his happy reminiscing suddenly turned cloudy. He stood up and padded towards the bathroom. He was long overdue for a shower, especially after that mission.

Ah- the mission. The _curse seal_. The image of the black patterned lines snaking over the man's skin flashed through his mind. And Yamato hadn't been surprised to see them. They'd had _suspicions_ , he'd said. Naruto narrowed his eyes. Just what kind of suspicions? Were there more of them out there, people connected with that creep?

And- and did Sasuke know about this?

* * *

 _Coming up next: Sasuke considers the idea that things are difficult for Konoha for Naruto as well, and maybe not everything is just about him all the time. …_

A/N: I want to hire a bunch of Naru!Clones to build a house for me…! I'm glad this chapter has both nin-ken and Yamato. We're approaching the half-way point of this fic, I hope y'll are enjoying it!

Also, shameless self-promotion: I've got a new multi-fic AU happening called Something New, check it out on my profile if you're interested!


	22. Red Ribbon

**Red Ribbon (Sasuke's POV)**

 _In which Sasuke considers the idea that things are difficult in Konoha for Naruto as well, and maybe not everything is just about him all the time._

* * *

Sasuke woke with the sun, and lay in bed mulling over last night's dream. It hadn't been a _nightmare_ , as such; and it hadn't woken him up. It had just been very strange, and even now the world around him seemed- foggy, and not quite real.

He pushed himself up and shook his head, trying to clear the fog away. He'd been walking through a dense, dark forest, and then suddenly it wasn't a forest anymore- it was a crowd of people; hundreds of them, maybe thousands, all staring at him with blank yet expectant faces, as if Sasuke should know who they were. He didn't; they were strangers to him.

It was still early, but there was no point hanging around his apartment. He quickly got ready for the day, and put together lunch for the team; it was his turn, and he was sick of eating out. Grilled fish for him and Juugo, and cheese sandwiches for Suigetsu, who just had to be special. He fed the extra fish to his nin-ken babysitter for the day (Bull, this time. He liked Bull- he didn't talk).

He walked through the chilly, empty town, the sun slowly taking over the sky; it was too close to winter now for the sun to actually heat the air, and Sasuke shivered slightly. He made his way to the tower hunched over, trying to avoid the eyes of the few people around him, but he couldn't help glancing around a little.

It was amazing how _same_ the town still was, even after being rebuilt. Sure, the buildings were new, but Konoha's buildings were always being re-built, and things had looked new even when Sasuke was young. The buildings were still in the same style. The same colours. The same wall and trees in the distance, overlooked by the same mountains and faces. It even _smelled_ the same, with the same sounds. It was…surreal. Uncomfortable.

He walked faster now, and relaxed a little when he arrived at the tower and made his way to Kakashi's office. He'd spend some time sorting through mission reports before the rest of the team arrived. That should clear his mind, and get him back on track.

* * *

A few hours later, Sasuke had pushed that dream well out of his mind, replaced instead with mission numbers, expenses, and results. Each time he finished a pile of reports, Kakashi replaced it with a new one, giving him a part on the head as he did so.

"I'm meant to be doing _my_ work," Sasuke grumbled, ducking out from under Kakashi's hand.

"Don't whine, Sasuke-kun, what am I paying you for?" Kakashi said back, and moved to pet Bull's head instead.

He frowned; he wasn't getting paid _anything_. After all, there's no way anyone would approve of him as an _official_ assistant to the Hokage. He was just a 'volunteer'. There was less scrutiny, that way. Suigetsu and Juugo at least had their accommodation and food paid for, and a small living allowance. Sasuke was living off the Uchiha money.

"The next lot of anti-Sasuke mail is here," said Shikamaru, wandering into the Hokage's office.

Sasuke rolled his eyes from where he was sitting at a small desk across the room, and didn't bother looking up from the files he was sorting.

From his own desk, Kakashi sighed audibly. "Just a summary, please," he said to Shikamaru.

"Easy enough," Shikamaru said with a shrug. "The Raikage protests Sasuke's high-level access, yet again. And there's a carefully diplomatic letter from Iwagakure questioning the tower's current staffing situation."

"How many letters from the Raikage is that?" Kakashi asked.

"Seven," Shikamaru answered. "If only Sasuke was better at making friends."

Sasuke growled under his breath. It was getting annoying. Here he was, spending all his time doing this work for the tower, for _Konoha_ , and he still had to put up with this stuff. Every day there was another letter, or another complaint in person via one of the ambassadors. Or the Elders would be in here, questioning all of Kakashi's decisions, since he evidently wasn't very good at making them. Or someone in the tower would make a snide remark while he was around.

"How about it, Sasuke?" Kakashi said, breaking into his chain of thought. "How about trying to make some friends?"

"I'll get right on that, then," Sasuke said. "Bunch of morons," he added, under his breath.

"I can't imagine why people don't love our Sasuke-kun," Kakashi went on. "He's so loveable. So approachable."

Shikamaru scoffed. "Yeah, sure. Anyway. It won't be long before the Raikage arrives in town for the Kumo-Konoha summit, so I'm sure it'll all come to a head then."

"Maybe we'll just lock Sasuke in his room for that," Kakashi suggested.

"Perhaps," agreed Shikamaru.

"Good luck with that," Sasuke muttered.

"And he's just so agreeable, too," Kakashi said. "So easy-going."

Shikamaru scoffed again, placed the letters on Kakashi's desk, and left the room.

"You're not your usual, sunshiny self today," Kakashi said to him, once they were alone again. "Does the Raikage really bother you that much?"

"It doesn't bother me," Sasuke growled. "He can just get over it, he and everyone else in this damn town."

As if it weren't bad enough that the whole town questioned his presence in Konoha; questioned his very _existence_ , it felt like sometimes. If everyone could just let him get on with his work- with the things he could do, that he was _good_ at.

"…ah," Kakashi said to that. "Yes. Well. Things are still a little tough, I suppose. It won't last, you know."

Sasuke looked over at him and glared. "I'm trying to work here," he said. He didn't need some kind of pep talk.

"People _will_ get over it," Kakashi pushed on. "Eventually, you'll just be like any other person here."

Sasuke severely doubted that; he was an Uchiha, after all.

"And don't think it won't happen because you're an Uchiha," Kakashi said, and Sasuke blinked. How did he know what he was thinking? "After all, when I was a kid, no-one had any problems with them."

"Before Kyuubi, you mean," Sasuke said.

Kakashi nodded. "Well, right. That did change things."

"And you're wrong," Sasuke added. "People always held a grudge against the Uchiha. Like the second Hokage said."

"Hmm," Kakashi murmured. "Tobirama had his own issues he was responding too. I wouldn't agree with him. Neither would the first, you know, or the fourth. And the third-"

"Let's not talk about _him_ ," Sasuke hissed.

Kakashi sighed. "Very well. But Sasuke, the point I'm trying to make is-"

"Would you make it fast," Sasuke interrupted. "Can't you see I'm trying to work?"

"My point is," Kakashi continued, calmly, "time will pass, and soon enough, this will be your home again. If you let it be.

Sasuke kept his eyes on his desk. Just what was he trying to say? It was useless, anyway. The things people thought about the Uchiha- about _him_ \- weren't going away; there was too much truth in them.

* * *

Sasuke stood in the files room next to Kakashi's office, absent-mindedly sorting all the mission reports into their correct spots. He sighed. Damn Kakashi, bringing up these thoughts that should stay buried. Wasn't he the one who told Sasuke to stop thinking about it all so much? And who was he, anyway, to tell him how he should feel about his own clan.

There was a commotion down the hall of people snapping to attention, and Sasuke moved to put down the files and check it out. Then he heard the door to Kakashi's office slam shut and he froze.

"Godaime," Kakashi said, voice smooth. "Did we have a meeting planned?"

Sasuke stifled a groan. He didn't want to face Tsunade. He always got some kind of lecture. He carefully put the files down and rested against the wall, deciding to just hide out in here until she left.

"Kakashi," came Tsunade's harsh voice. "I need you to pull Naruto off rotation."

 _Off rotation?_ Sasuke thought. _Was something wrong?_

Kakashi sighed heavily. "One day," he said, "you'll ask me for something I can actually do."

"I mean it," Tsunade went on. "He's so over-worked it's ridiculous."

"We're _all_ over-worked," the Hokage reasoned. "There's still a lot that needs doing."

"According to the mission logs, he's only had 5 full days off in the past four months. That's unacceptable. You're going to burn him out."

 _Wait, what?_ Sasuke knew that Naruto was doing a lot of work, but that just didn't seem possible. It wasn't even _allowed_ , even now, with less people to do an increased number of missions.

"There are some missions that only Naruto-kun can do," Kakashi went on. "And he needs to be _seen_."

Sasuke shifted uncomfortably. He didn't want to hear this. He didn't like the way some people in the tower talked about Naruto; especially when it was Kakashi talking like that, too.

"This pace is unsustainable. It's not _reasonable_ ," Tsunade said, her voice still just as sharp. Sasuke could easily imagine the ferocious glare she was sending to the new Hokage.

"Tsunade-sama," Kakashi continued. "We've got a schedule. And to keep up with it, Naruto needs to be using this time to complete as many missions as possible-"

"You mean that plan the Nara brat made? It's not practical."

"-and Naruto will be out of rotation for at least two years under the new genin system, anyway. It's only a few months until we'll be assigning teams."

Sasuke bit back a scoff. Surely he was misinterpreting that; they weren't seriously going to give a genin team to _Naruto_?

"You've always over-estimated his abilities, Kakashi. He's a child."

"And you've always under-estimated them. I know what he's capable of."

"Are you in a hurry to retire, rokudaime?"

Kakashi sighed. "I'll try and get him a few days off, or maybe some lighter missions. I can't make any promises."

And a while later, Tsunade _finally_ left the Hokage's office, but only after forcibly extracting a promise from Kakashi to 'do what he could'. Sasuke stayed in the file room hidden away, staring down at his hands.

Was it true? Was Naruto being over-worked? And for what purpose- did they really have everything mapped out for him like that? He frowned. It sounded awful.

Sure, there had been a whole five minutes when he himself had considered being Hokage. _Thank god I got over that,_ he thought to himself. And there were a few times in the hospital, some conversations he'd had with Naruto- not _all_ of them turned into arguments, just _most_ of them- when Sasuke had been half-convinced that not even Naruto wanted to be Hokage anymore.

Was that even an option, though? That idiot had been screaming from the rooftops about his so-called dream for as long as anyone would listen to him; and now, Naruto was stuck with the title of 'hero' as well. If not Hokage, what else would a shinobi like Naruto do with the rest of his life? What else would he be _allowed_ to do?

Sasuke looked down at the huge stack of unfilled reports on the shelves. So much work to do. So much that needed doing. His eyes landed on a large scroll, wrapped in a bright red ribbon, prettily tied. He suddenly had a memory of ribbons and ties and kimono, thinking back to that night he'd wondered in to Sakura's apartment, and she'd been dressing her and Naruto up for a function with the Daimyo. Apparently, doing that kind of stuff wasn't out of the ordinary for him these days.

Yes; maybe Naruto was being over-worked, and doing all kinds of missions no other shinobi did. But was he okay with that?

* * *

Sasuke waited outside Naruto's door, propped against the wall and trying to concentrate on the book he'd brought with him. An hour went by and it was getting late; the moron's mission for today must have gone over-time.

Eventually there was a _thunk_ of someone landing on the stairwell and he pushed himself up onto his feet, brushing the dust off his shirt and pants.

"Oh, Sasuke," Naruto said as he came down the hallway. "You really _are_ here. I thought my radar must've been malfunctioning."

"Your _radar_?" Sasuke asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Heh," Naruto said, looking sheepish. "You know. How I can always tell where you are. And you can do the same, right? Track my chakra?"

Well, yes, he could, when he wanted to; it was something they'd never really talked about though, not properly.

"Yeah, I guess so," Sasuke said back, putting his book away and folding his arms across his chest. "Do you always get home this late?"

Naruto shrugged. He had bulging shopping bags in both arms, which Sasuke suspected were full of instant ramen. He reached the front door and nudged it open with his elbow; it wasn't locked.

"Miss me?" Naruto called as he went inside, looking over his shoulder to stare at Sasuke. "I guess it's been a few days."

A few days since Naruto's birthday, yes. Sasuke quickly pushed certain thoughts out of his mind, following Naruto inside and looking around. The last time he was in this apartment- _uh,_ _no, let's not think about_ _ **that**_ _, either._

Well, in any case, he hadn't hung around long enough to get a good look. It was just as messy as he expected Naruto's apartment to be, covered in empty ramen packages and piles and clothes.

Naruto dumped the shopping bags on the table and switched on the kettle. Sasuke watched him warily, looking for any signs of burn out. He _did_ look tired; very tired, actually. There were dark shadows under his eyes and he seemed a little paler than usual.

 _And he didn't grin and try to clamp onto me the instant he saw me outside his door. He must be exhausted._

"So, did you want something?" Naruto asked. He stared over at Sasuke and smirked. "Did you _need_ something?"

Sasuke scowled at the suggestive look on his face. "As if, dead-last. I just had something to show you." He stalked over to the table, shoved his hand in his pocket, and pulled out the long red ribbon he'd taken from the scroll, placing it down on the table.

Naruto blinked, and looked at him. "Uh," he said. "It's a ribbon."

"Yes," Sasuke said back, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Obviously it was a ribbon.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's very- it's very _pretty_ , Sasuke-"

Sasuke scowled. "This is for demonstration purposes," he interrupted. "Imagine it's a lot bigger- a long piece of fabric. You said that time, you wanted to see the jutsu for tying the obi on Sakura's kimono."

Naruto stared at Sasuke in surprise. "Wait, what? You figured it out?"

"It's not that hard, moron," Sasuke said. He quickly made the seals with his hands, and with a small poof the ribbon re-shaped itself into a tiny, yet perfectly formed and intricate bow. Just like that.

"Woah!" said Naruto, leaning down and squinting at it. "It really worked! Look at that…"

"Well, it's a pretty useless jutsu, but now you know I wasn't lying."

Even though he _had_ been lying; he'd known how to use that jutsu even that night, though he'd claimed not to. It just wasn't the kind of thing he wanted to think about. The kinds of memories it brought up- well, they weren't very nice.

"This'd look cute on Sakura-chan," Naruto said, tracing his finger across the top of the elaborately-tied bow.

"I'm not sure she'd get much use out of this jutsu," Sasuke said. Shinobi didn't need to be going around wearing kimono anyway, what was the use? He had a memory of that clinging blue kimono Naruto had draped over him that night. …yes, completely useless.

Sasuke reached out to take the ribbon back from the table, and Naruto slammed his hand over the top of it. "No," he said. "I want to keep it."

Sasuke frowned. "Why? It won't stay like that, not unless you want me to keep feeding it chakra for the rest of my life."

"Oh," said Naruto, as the tidy little bow unravelled in his hands. "Anyway. I'm keeping it." He slipped the ribbon into his pocket before Sasuke could take it away.

Sasuke couldn't figure out why on earth anyone would want to keep such a useless item. He stared over at Naruto with suspicion, as the moron quickly moved back over to the kitchen bench away from Sasuke.

"So, you definitely don't want any dinner?" Naruto called back to him.

As if instant ramen could be properly called _dinner_.

"I'll pass," Sasuke answered.

He stood there, watching Naruto put together his 'dinner' with a distinctly well-practiced set of movements. This is what he did, huh? Woke up, went on missions, came home and ate ramen, and then did it all again?

"Naruto," he called out. "You've been going on a lot of missions lately, right?"

"Hmm?" Naruto murmured, pouring hot water into the ramen package. "What's a lot? I guess I do a fair few. Why?"

"You do more than others, don't you?"

"Maybe," Naruto said back. "But you know, there's so much to do. And the clones are pretty useful on missions, and not everyone can do that, so." He shrugged.

"Aren't you tired?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto turned around properly and stared back at him. "Tired?" he repeated. "Why?"

Sasuke looked around at the apartment. "Well," he said. "I mean just look at this place. You obviously don't have time to clean-"

" _Hey_ ," Naruto interrupted.

"And is that all you eat, really?"

"Oi, Sasuke," Naruto said. "What, you're worried about me now? Gonna start bugging me like Sakura-chan and Tsunade-baa-san, make me eat more vegetables and get more sleep?"

"Well," he said, shifting awkwardly. "Well. I might be a _little_ worried-" He stopped mid-sentence when Naruto's whole expression suddenly changed.

"Sasuke," Naruto exclaimed. "Wait, _seriously_? You're- you're _worried_ about me?"

Sasuke took a wary step backwards out of the kitchen as Naruto began moving towards him.

 _Oh, shit,_ he thought. _I should not have said that! What was I thinking?_

The big blonde moron was walking towards him faster now, and Sasuke spun around and began rushing to the door to escape before-

-too late. Naruto latched onto him from behind and wrapped his arms around him.

"Sasuke! You're worried about me!" he cried. "That's so _sweet_!"

Naruto nuzzled into the back of Sasuke's neck, and he winced as the arms around his waist gripped him tighter. Sasuke's own arms were tightly pinned against his side and he could barely move. "Let _go_ , dead-last," he demanded. "Look, I just meant that-"

"Aww, I know what you meant!" Naruto interrupted, laughing, and pushing up closer against his back. "You can't undo it now, you're worried about me! Wait until I tell Sakura-"

"Don't you dare!" Sasuke screeched, and tried to pull away, to no avail. "Naruto-"

"And people are always complaining about what a selfish, emotionless jerk you are," Naruto said, ignoring his struggles to get away. "But that's not _completely_ true, I've always said so!"

 _…ugh._ Resistance was futile. He just had to relax, stay perfectly still, and eventually Naruto would give up and release him.

"Great, thanks," Sasuke muttered. _Selfish and emotionless, indeed_. He took a deep, soothing breath, and tried not to move when he felt Naruto's warm breath tickling the back of his neck, and not to struggle against Naruto's vice-like arms wrapped all around him, his skin burning against his own. _Is he always this hot? Feels like he's going to burn me._

"That's so nice of you," Naruto murmured, his voice dropping down low, his face resting against Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke felt a fluttering in his stomach as his cheeks started to burn. _No, no, calm down!_ He told himself very firmly. "It's no big deal," he murmured back. _Don't make any sudden movements, don't make any loud noises._

"Well," Naruto went on, after a moment's silence. "It's a big deal to _me_. …thank you, Sasuke."

 _…shit._ He could feel his face properly burning red now. "Mm," he said back, non-committedly. "Whatever."

Naruto gave a deep little laugh and Sasuke could feel it against his back. He sighed. He seemed to spend way too much of his time pressed up against this guy lately. It was a mistake to even come here; obviously, Naruto was fine, he could take care of himself- and was this moron ever going to let him go?

Sasuke had stopped struggling now, though he suddenly realised that Naruto had stopped gripping him quite so hard. Actually, he was running his hands up and down Sasuke's arms now. Sasuke could easily get away. Naruto was still nuzzling into his neck though, up to his ear and down to the top of his back. Sasuke felt his breath hitch in his throat and he froze.

"Na- Naruto-" he began. "Um-"

"Mm?" Naruto murmured against his neck. "Oh, not tonight, babe. I've got an early morning. Maybe tomorrow."

Sasuke blinked. Uh, _what_? Wait-

He stepped away from him and spun around, and caught Naruto grinning at him cheekily.

"Naruto!" he hissed. "What the _hell_ , I wasn't-"

"No, really, I'm just too tired okay? And I've got a headache," Naruto interrupted. He reached out and placed a hand on Sasuke's back, and pushed him towards the door.

"Naruto!" Sasuke protested.

"I'm not kicking you out, well, I _am_ , but you understand, right? Don't be mad, kitten," Naruto said as they reached the door. He leaned over and placed a quick kiss on Sasuke's cheek.

" _Naruto_!" Sasuke shrieked as he was pushed out the door. "You _idiot_ -"

"I'll see you tomorrow!" Naruto said to him with a wave, and then the door was slammed in his face.

What. The. Hell!

Sasuke kicked at the door and growled. That moronic, maddening dead-last! As if Sasuke had been trying to suggest that they should- and then to kick him out, ugh!

He spun around and stalked down the hall. How _dare_ he?!

* * *

 _Coming up next: Sakura reluctantly begins her new job with Sasuke, Juugo, and Suigetsu, and an incident occurs to make them question Konoha's safety._

A/N: _ "kitten"…you're a very brave boy, Naruto…

Annnnnnnd we're at the halfway point, FINALLY! *collapses in heap on floor.* Oh my god, why on earth did I start such a long fic! Let's see, by my calculations, with 22 more chapters to go, at one chapter a week, we'll be finishing on… December 14. …good lord. An average of 3,000 words a chapter… 132,000 words by the time I'm done. …ugh.

Give me some strength to go on, guys! Let me know if you've got a favourite chapter or part, etc.?


	23. Taka

**Naruto Fanfic: Lost on the Road of Life (23 of 44)**

 **Taka (Sakura's POV)**

 _In which Sakura reluctantly begins her new job with Sasuke, Juugo, and Suigetsu, and an incident occurs to make them question Konoha's safety._

* * *

So it turned out, what Kakashi had said to her all those weeks ago was _true_ ; when it came to thinking about Sasuke and his Taka teammates, Sakura really _did_ became a jealous, green-eyed monster.

Maybe it was immature. Maybe it was unfair. Really, she should be _happy_ that her friend Sasuke had these two people in his life that he so obviously got along with, who he even seemed to feel comfortable around, even _relaxed_. Being happy for him would make her a better person, certainly.

And yet, she just couldn't make herself feel that way; because if Sasuke had just stayed in Konoha all those years ago, if Orochimaru hadn't lured him away, if Obito hadn't dragged him down with thoughts of vengeance, surely Sasuke would have felt that way about his _real_ team. Team Seven was in his life first, after all.

She sighed, and pushed away the files she was currently working on in favour of watching Sasuke and the other two across the room. They were moving pins and notes around the large map they had covering the wall, and arguing. Well, kind-of; Juugo never really 'argued' with anyone, and Sasuke was far too controlled to argue either, but Suigetsu on the other hand- he turned _everything_ into an argument.

" _Sasuke_ ," the white-haired boy whined, snatching a blue pin out of Juugo's hand. "That new report clearly puts this gang at _this_ base-"

Juugo calmly reached out and took the blue pin back. "It's not the same gang," he said, in that soft, low voice of his. "This one's lead by Kuro."

"You're wrong," Suigetsu shot back. "I'm the one who was stuck with Kuro for months, he wouldn't- Sasuke!" he shrieked, trying to wrestle the pin back.

Sakura rolled her eyes and sighed again as his high-pitched voice assaulted her ears. God, he was just so annoying-

"Suigetsu," Sasuke interrupted. "You're annoying."

Sakura blinked and turned back to them.

"Oi, Sasuke-!"

Sasuke took the pin from the boys and lay it on the desk. "We don't have enough information to know where Kuro's gang is for sure, and whether it's his gang at this base."

"…fine," Suigetsu said with a pout, stepping away from the map.

And just like that, a thirty-minute argument was over.

So it wasn't just that Sasuke seemed comfortable around these two; it wasn't just that they were clearly his _friends_. Sasuke was also their leader. The way they both watched him; the way they both deferred to his decisions with almost instantly.

She didn't like it.

"Let's take a break," Sasuke said, coming back over to the table. "We can't get any further until the chuunin teams get back and confirm there's no activity in the woods."

"Should be any day now," Sakura said. The teams had been out scouting the area around Konoha for the past week.

Sasuke nodded. "It would be much easier if we could just go there ourselves," he added. "They're not even that far from the walls."

"The Anbu would have a field day," Suigetsu said, with an unnatural gleam in his eyes.

No- Sakura didn't want Sasuke going anywhere. He had to stay right here. She didn't like that they'd had to resort to using chuunin as scouts, but at least there were two teams together, and they were only scouting within a few days of Konoha, to ensure that the village, prison, and old research stations near Konoha weren't being eyed by the gangs.

"Sasuke," she said, changing the subject. She'd had enough of this. "Let's start your training again. Your arm's doing much better this week."

He shot her a wary look. "I am _not_ training with Lee again-"

"Ohh," Suigetsu exclaimed from the wall. "Can I play? You should see these awesome weapons Tenten's been showing me! I'm dying to try them out."

Sakura frowned, unhappy at just how casually this guy talked about _her_ friends. He hadn't really been spending time with Tenten, had he? That wasn't right.

"It's been a while since you used a katana," Juugo murmured to Sasuke.

Sasuke smiled at that. He actually _smiled_. Sakura growled under her breath.

"May I, doctor?" he said to her, still smiling.

"Fine," she said, doing her best not to glare. After all, any smile from Sasuke was a good thing, no matter who is was that was causing it. Right? Right.

* * *

Sakura wasn't sure how she felt about discovering the horde of weapons Suigetsu had stashed in their office, but it was certainly convenient, meaning they could head off for training straight away. She took them to one of the un-used training grounds near the wall, and laid out in no uncertain terms the restrictions for what Sasuke could and couldn't do.

"Anything you say," Sasuke said to her, testing out a katana Suigetsu had given him. "You're the boss."

"Damn right," she growled under her breath. She quickly finished up her examination of his left arm, checking out his chakra balance to compare it to after the training session.

"Can we get started already?" called Suigetsu from across the field, where he was waving an excessively large sword around like it was nothing.

She sighed. "Fine," she said, stepping away from them. "Go ahead."

She could actually see the gleam from Suigetsu's grin from across the field as he charged at Sasuke, brandishing the sword with enthusiasm. She stepped a little further away.

Sasuke stood still, watching him approach, and then as his opponent came closer he moved his katana no more than was absolutely necessary to block Suigetsu's attack in a smooth, well-practiced motion. Suigetsu laughed and leapt away, before moving back to attack him again on his left side, and being blocked, yet again.

"Today's the day you lose, Sasuke!" Suigetsu declared, swinging the huge metal sword around his head.

Sasuke didn't answer, just moved a little to his right and then, in a flash, had charged at his opponent with his katana held low and close at his side, causing Suigetsu to shriek and struggle to get his unwieldy weapon back into place to block.

 _…this might actually be entertaining_ , Sakura thought to herself, setting down on the grass to watch. She glanced behind her where Juugo was sitting up against a tree, quietly observing the fight.

Sakura hadn't seen Sasuke fight like this much before. Swords weren't exactly the weapon of choice for ninjas. Anything bigger than large daggers were just too difficult to conceal, after all, and weren't so good in sneak attacks. But there was no doubt it suited him, and that he enjoyed it. Probably a casual observer would have looked at Sasuke's face, set in a smooth, blank expression as he and Suigetsu exchanged blows, and have said he looked almost bored, uninterested. Maybe arrogant. But Sakura had spent a long time watching him, and she could tell he was having fun.

And in the meantime, she'd never seen Suigetsu fight, and she was very interested to see why Sasuke had thought him worthy to be a part of his Team Seven replacement. She wasn't too impressed; he had nothing of Sasuke's grace and speed, and was far too eager to attack at any opening. _What a joke_ , she thought.

"Suigetsu could win this if he took it seriously," Juugo commented from behind her, and she looked back at him in surprise. Did he know what she'd been thinking?

"Um, really?" she said, doubtful. "I don't think anyone could beat Sasuke."

Juugo glanced over at his two friends, at the screeching, flailing Suigetsu and the calm and composed Sasuke. "He's an expert with a sword. …though it may not seem so."

It certainly did _not_ seem so, though on the other hand, they _had_ been fighting for a whole three minutes and Suigetsu was still in one piece- that was something.

"Why wouldn't he win, if you say he can?" she asked Juugo.

Juugo just stared at her, and didn't answer.

She sighed, and turned away, bringing her attention back to Sasuke. He was obviously in no actual danger of being hurt in this fight, so she could stop worrying about that. Instead, she wanted to make sure he was moving okay, that his left arm wasn't causing problems. This was actually a good method of training for him, favouring his right arm instead of the new left one, but he would never be able to use weapons as effectively as he before until his whole body was back in balance.

"I demand a re-match!" Suigetsu shrieked from across the field, where Sasuke had him pinned to the ground.

Sakura grinned. _Sasuke 1, Suigetsu 0_. She pushed herself up off the ground and went over to make sure he hadn't overworked his left arm.

"If I had some of my proper weapons, I'd whip you," Suigetsu was saying to Sasuke as she arrived.

"I'm sure you would," Sasuke said in a calming tone.

"So what did you think of my skills, Sakura-chan?" Suigetsu said to her.

She really wished he'd drop the 'chan'. _…ugh._

"How's your arm feeling, Sasuke?" she asked, reaching out to test the chakra balance.

"It feels fine," he replied. "Shouldn't we do some more chakra-intensive training, though?"

She nodded. "Absolutely. You can start that training on your own as well, I think. Just some basic exercises. But if it starts to hurt-"

"-stop, and come and see you immediately," he droned.

She narrowed her eyes. "…yes." What a brat. _He and Naruto deserve each other_ , she thought, and then she blinked, surprised. What a random thought.

"Looks like Juugo's made some friends," Suigetsu said, looking behind them.

Ah, the birds and cats. He was almost never without them. Sakura preferred dogs herself. She turned around to see how many he'd attracted this time-

…and then she squealed and jumped behind Suigetsu, when she saw Juugo holding the biggest, freakiest black spider she had ever seen. "What the hell is that?!" she shrieked, moving further behind the two boys.

The boys stared at her, cowering behind them. "Um, Sakura," Sasuke began. "…you're afraid of spiders?"

"Ha!" Suigetsu crowed. "Poor Sakura-chan!"

"I'm _not_!" she declared, standing up straighter and clenching her fists. "But that thing's a monster! Juugo, really, _why_? Can't you get rid of it?"

He was just sitting there, with the huge black thing moving around on his hand and arm, like it was _nothing_!

"Oi, Sakura," Suigetsu went on. "You've probably offended it now. Spiders have feelings too, you know!"

"She's not offended," Juugo said, placing the spider on the ground. "Her appearance is meant to intimidate people. She takes it as a compliment."

Sakura glared. "Well, great," she said. "Tell her she's welcome." She stayed securely behind the boys until the spider had disappeared into the bushes. She was never coming to this training ground again!

As soon as the spider left, it was replaced at Juugo's side by a small red bird. _Ahh, that's much better,_ she thought to herself.

Taking a deep, calming breath, she turned back to Sasuke. "Should we start some of those exercises now-"

"Sasuke," Juugo interrupted, standing up and coming over to them. "Something's happening at the tower."

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked, stepping away from her and frowning.

"She says a group just came back, and they were really injured. Chuunin, by the sound of it."

"The chuunin scouts?" Sakura said, tensing up. "Something must have gone wrong!" She picked up her small bundle of belongs and prepared to head off immediately.

"Let's go too," Sasuke said to the boys, and they followed closely behind her.

* * *

When they arrived at the tower it was clear that something was up. The top floor around the Hokage's office had been cleared of people, and a group of Anbu agents were there making sure no-one approached. Sakura and the boys, however, were ushered straight through as soon as they were spotted. That was not a good sign; this had to have something to do with the group that had been scouting for them.

When they got through the guards Sakura could see a trio of chuunin crouched in the hall, a team of medics at their side, treating what looked like multiple injuries. She rushed over to them.

"What can I do to help?" she asked, reaching out for one of them at once. "Why aren't they at the medical centre?!"

"They might be needed to provide information," one of the medics said. "Some of their teammates are in there now," he added, nodding at the closed door of the Hokage's office.

"Sakura-sensei," said the chuunin she was examining- a girl she knew, Yuki. "We're okay. Two of the boys are bad, and they're at the hospital."

"I doubt you're okay," she said back, quickly examining her bandages. "Tell me where it hurts-"

"Sakura, Sasuke," came a voice, and she looked up and saw Yamato. "Come on in."

She stood, but didn't move, instead looking down at the injured chuunin. She was a medic; her place was with them.

"We've got them, Sakura-sensei," the medics said, and Yuki nodded.

She hesitated, but Sasuke came and ushered her through the door, and she didn't protest.

Inside the office was another pair of injured chuunin, being questioned intently by Anbu agents. Kakashi was leaning against his desk, seeming outwardly composed, but one look at his ashen face and the way his hands were gripping the desk behind him told her that he wasn't okay.

"What happened?" she asked him, going over to his side.

He glanced at her, and a twinge of guilt crossed his face. "Sakura-"

"Kakashi," Sasuke interrupted. "We didn't think there were any gangs still out there."

He turned away from her and nodded. "It seems we've been out-foxed," he said. "They're back- or perhaps they've just been lying low, since the attack on the prison."

Sakura looked over to the pair of chuunin being questioned. One of them, a slight, red-headed girl, had a medic infusing chakra into their chest. She obviously was not okay.

"This wasn't meant to be a dangerous mission!" Sakura cried out, clenching her fist. "What if one of these kids had been killed?!"

" _Kids_?" the red-headed chuunin protested, calling out across the room. "We're shinobi too, you know!"

"And you did very well," Kakashi said with a nod. "Though I think the aim of the gang's attack was not to kill, but to intimidate, and send a message."

"What message?" Sakura asked.

"A rather specific one, I'm afraid," Kakashi replied, turning back to the red-head. "Go on," he said.

The chuunin sat forward on her seat, shaking off the medic treating her. "The leader of the gang told me to say that they know who Konoha has been keeping," she said, sending a dark stare over at Sasuke.

"Who we've been _keeping_?" Sakura repeated. Beside her, Sasuke didn't react to the words or the glare.

"He said that Sasuke Uchiha and his underlings belonged with them, or with no-one."

 _Belonged with them_.

"Kakashi," Sasuke said in a low voice. "It seems Yamato's theory was right."

"What theory?" Sakura asked.

"Well," Kakashi said. "He seems to think that the group who attacked the prison had been expecting Sasuke to be there as well. That they would have taken him if they could, or eliminated him if they couldn't- like they did with Orochimaru."

 _Thank god he wasn't there_ , _then,_ she thought, feeling a slight shudder run through her.

"And the other thing," Kakashi said to the girl.

"They want all the records and scrolls that Konoha is keeping from them," she went on, "or they'll come in and get it all themselves."

"Show them," Kakashi prompted.

The girl nodded, and pulled a bandage away from her shoulder. There, in her skin, a large bloody figure had been carved into her.

Sakura inhaled sharply.

" _Ryuu_ ," Sasuke read, leaning closer to the girl. "Is that what they're calling themselves? _Dragons_?" He scoffed.

"So it would seem," Kakashi murmured.

"We can heal that so it won't scar," Sakura said to the girl, who nodded. _Even though it looks pretty deep. Those monsters._

"Hey, Juugo," Suigetsu muttered to his friend, from where they were standing behind her. "No-one ever mentions us by name, you know."

"Mmm," Juugo murmured back.

"And _underlings_? That's pretty insulting," he added.

"Mmm," Juugo said.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at them. Sasuke turned and shot them a look, and they shut up.

"This matches up with what the reports have been saying," said Shikamaru, appearing out of nowhere with a stack of files in his arms. "All previous associates are being rounded up. They're coordinating."

"These aren't separate gangs anymore," Sasuke murmured.

Kakashi nodded in agreement. "I doubt we'll be able to keep this a secret for much longer," he said. "We need more resources."

Across the room, the red-headed girl suddenly groaned, and fell forward onto the floor. Sakura cried out and rushed over, but luckily the medic quickly caught her.

"Kakashi," she said. "They need to be taken to the medical centre, _now_."

"Agreed," he said. "Have them escorted to the hospital, and then we'll get started on this."

"Will they be okay?" Sakura asked the medics treating the chuunin.

"They'll be fine," they responded.

She hoped so; they were the ones who asked for them to be sent out these, after all.

* * *

It was late by the time they called it a day; Sakura was tired, and anxious. None of the chuunin were in a critical condition- they would all recover. But still, the revelation that they had enemies concealed this close to home was troubling.

"We should get started early tomorrow," she murmured to Sasuke as they left the tower, with Suigetsu and Juugo training slowly behind via the coffee machine. So much for Sasuke's training; that would have to wait.

He nodded, and then tensed slightly and looked ahead.

 _Ah, Naruto._

"Sakura-chan!" her friend called, coming up to her with a smile. "I've been looking for you, you know! You weren't at the hospital!"

"Oh, right," she said, suddenly remembered it was his normal check-up day; not that he really needed them anymore. "Sorry, I've been-"

"Bothering Sasuke?" he interrupted, grinning. "Keeping him out of trouble?"

Sasuke scowled from beside her and crossed his arms over his chest. _Are these two not getting along again?_ she wondered; she really thought things had been improving between them.

"Oh, look," Naruto said, his grin deepening. "He's annoyed because I came here to see _you_ instead of him!"

Sakura couldn't help but smile; Sasuke just looked so _annoyed_. It seemed his ability to maintain his usual blank, composed expression just did not exist when he was around Naruto. It probably embarrassed him, but she thought it was progress.

"You've been feeling okay, haven't you Naruto?" she asked. "We probably don't need to do any more check-ups, unless anything goes wrong."

"Oh, really?" he said to her. "No more?"

"Do you need one?" she asked him.

"Oh, um, no- of course not!" he answered. "I'm 100% okay, Sakura-chan!"

 _Hmm. Well, if you say so._

"Alright, then," she said, making a mental note to check up on him when he wasn't in front of his rival. Neither of them would admit the slightest weakness if the other was around.

"Awesome," he said, and then turned away from her and back to Sasuke. "So she's been letting you train? I'll train with you, you know. I'll even go easy on you-"

And then there was a huge CRASH as Sasuke finally lost his temper and smashed Naruto into the ground at that last comment.

Sakura quickly took a few steps back as Naruto shrieked in outrage at this.

"Go easy on me?!" Sasuke exclaimed, grabbing Naruto's shirt and dragging him back off to ground. "Who the hell do you think you are, dead last?!"

"Oi, Sasuke!" Naruto screeched, pulling at Sasuke's hands where they gripped his shirt. "I'd have to use less than half my strength or I'd _destroy_ you-"

"You moron-!" Sasuke exclaimed, releasing his shirt, and then clenching his fists as Naruto leapt away from him.

 _Hey, guys, we're in public,_ she thought to herself. _Maybe go easy on the flirting._

"Jeez, get a room," came Suigetsu's voice from behind her, and she jumped and looked back. Both him and Juugo were staring at Sasuke and Naruto screeching at each other with the same exasperated expression she was sure she had.

She sighed. "I'll see you both tomorrow," she said, and then walked past her quarrelling friends, too tired to stay until the end of this latest round.

* * *

 _Coming up next:_ _Naruto attends his first council meeting, with a warning not to lose his temper at what he might hear._

A/N: Just a quick note re: whether this is **NaruSasu** or **SasuNaru** , weeeell, in terms of tops and bottoms, they're not really having that kind of sex yet so, haha. But, most of my other stories have Naruto as the 'top', though in my head they def switch a bit. Anyway I'd just call this **SasuNaruSasu** , because they're both interested in each other and pursuing each other- well, in their own way! *glares at Sas, the ice queen*.

And as always, **a HUGE thank you to my subscribers and commenters!** Getting email notifications really makes my day 3 3 3. Love you guys! (note: I really wish I could reply to you **all** , but won't let me reply to people who don't have accounts- but I love you guys too! Tee especially, thanks for commenting every time, always makes me smile!)


	24. No More Secrets

**No More Secrets (Naruto's POV)**

 _In which Naruto attends his first council meeting, with a warning not to lose his temper at what he might hear._

A/N: see the notes at the end for a (slightly long) explanation of the council and clan stuff I've just made up here.

* * *

Turning eighteen certainly hadn't changed one thing for Naruto; he was still sure that secrets were being kept from him. Important things were happening, and no-one would tell him what they were. The past few days, especially, the tower had been buzzing with activity, people rushing around with extra-serious looks on their faces.

And despite Sasuke's very thoughtful birthday gift, and that impromptu visit to his apartment last week, he got the feeling that the two of them still weren't making any progress at all. And Sasuke still looked just as unhappy to be stuck here in Konoha as he always did.

Well, the secrets at least were ending _today_ ; because today, finally, Naruto was becoming an official member of the Wider Konoha Council. And that meant that his clearance was being bumped up all the way to the second-highest level; Kakashi-sensei was going to have a _much_ harder time keeping secrets from him now!

As for Sasuke… that might take some more time. Yes, time. It would all work out in the end, surely! After all, he at least knew that Sasuke worried about him now. And no-one could take that away from him.

Naruto made his way to the tower in a much better mood now, feeling ready to attend his first Council meeting. And Sakura-chan was joining too, so that would be fun.

As he got closer he could tell it was just as busy today at the tower; he could see crowds of people through all the windows, and there was Kiba's team coming towards him now. Well, stalking towards him. …oh, Kiba was stalking, and Shino and Hinata were rushing after him.

"Yo, Kiba! What's up?" Naruto called out as he got closer, noticing the ferocious look on his friend's face.

Kiba stomped up to him, scowling furiously. "Naruto!" he snarled. "You won't believe this shit! We-"

"-ahh, Kiba-kun, calm down!" interrupted Hinata, catching up to him and placing her hand on his arm. "Hello, Naruto-kun, how are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Naruto said, watching Kiba's face turn different shades of red. "But I don't think _he_ is- what's happening?"

"We're heading out on a mission, Naruto-kun. A long one. We might be gone a while."

Kiba was barely holding himself back, but the not-so-subtle warning looks Hinata was giving him seemed to be doing their job.

"Can't believe this shit," Kiba muttered under his breath, glaring at the ground.

"What kind of mission?" Naruto asked, getting worried.

"The usual," said Shino, finally reaching them. "Surveillance. But a bit more under-cover this time. Ignore Kiba."

"Shino!" scowled Kiba. "Naruto, just you wait until they get desperate enough to add _you_ to this project, then you'll be as angry as me-"

"Kiba!" scolded Hinata. "That's enough."

Kiba glared, but shut up.

"We should be going," Shino said.

"Ah, okay," Naruto said back, concerned. "I guess I'll see you when you get back? Good luck with everything!"

"Thank you, Naruto-kun," Hinata said and then, tightening her grip on Kiba's arm, she dragged him down the street away from the tower.

Naruto watched them go, frowning. _This project,_ Kiba had said. Well, if it was part of The Secret, as Naruto had been referring to it, then there was a good chance he'd be finding out about it soon.

Feeling better, he nodded to himself and made his way into the tower.

* * *

"You're late," Shikamaru grumbled to him. "I needed you here at least half an hour ago!"

"Aw, but, the meeting doesn't start for like five minutes!" Naruto protested, pouting. "Hell, I'm _early_! Very early, for me." Surely he should get credit for _that_ ; he was becoming much more responsible now that he was a proper adult.

Shikamaru stood up from his desk with a heavy sigh, narrowing his eyes. He picked up some papers and then headed out of the room, indicating for Naruto to follow him.

"The meeting may not have started yet, but I need to prep you," he said, as they pushed their way through the crowded halls towards the main meeting room. "You're going to be hearing a lot of new information today, and I can't have you freaking out and throwing a temper tantrum during the meeting."

" _Oi_ ," said Naruto, feeling deeply, deeply offended. When did he ever throw _tantrums_? "Just what do you think I'm going to do?"

Shikamaru opened the meeting-room door and ushered him inside. "Have a seat, and we'll go through a few things first."

Naruto growled. "I know how to behave in a meeting, you know," he said, sitting down. "You sit and look bored, and pretend to take notes. Right?

Shikamaru just sighed again. "Okay, well, first things first. Things are still a little tense with the Elders, especially the ones you yelled at in the hospital cafeteria that one time," he said, sitting next to him and opening a notebook.

…oh, right, _that_. Would that have counted as a 'temper tantrum'? Probably. Well, they had deserved it, the things they had been saying about Sasuke so soon after he had just helped save everyone!

"And those two will almost certainly bring up Sasuke again, so I just need you to stay calm about it, okay? That's a long-term situation that just needs more time to resolve, and preferably less yelling."

"Yeah, okay," Naruto said, pouting. "What else? Are you finally going to tell me what The Secret is?"

"Well, about that. …yes, it will be the main item on the agenda today. And I am sure that eventually you, and everyone else, will understand why it was "Secret", as you put it, for so long."

"How would _you_ put it?" Naruto sulked.

"As ' _need to know'_ , or ' _classified_ '," Shikamaru said back, "and with good reason. This all started so soon after the war ended, you know. People needed some breathing space."

He frowned. ' _This_ '? "Go on."

"It will be explained in the meeting. The situation has grown worse, and we need more resources to handle it properly before it blows up in our faces."

The door behind them opened, and people started coming in. Looks like the meeting was about to start, and his 'prep time' was over.

"Listen," Shikamaru murmured to him. "Just- before you say anything, just _think_ about it, and maybe count to ten- or even better, count to _sixty_ , okay?"

He narrowed his eyes. "…fine," he agreed, reluctantly. Honestly, how bad could it be that he was getting such a lecture?

Shikamaru stood and moved to the other end of the table, and his spot was soon taken by Sakura.

"Naruto," she said with a small smile. "A real council meeting, huh? This is really something."

He smiled back at her. "But it's about time though right, Sakura-chan?" he said. "Don't you think?"

"Well, maybe," she said, sitting back in her chair and fidgeting slightly. "So, ah, Naruto, you should probably know- I've been working with Sasuke and his group a bit, for the past few weeks-"

"You've been working with _them_?" he exclaimed. "On _what_?"

She flushed red and looked around her. "Oh, well, they needed a medical opinion on certain things. It'll probably come up in the meeting. I just felt really bad about keeping it from you-"

He sighed, and waved it off. Secrets, secrets, and more secrets. "Don't worry about it, Sakura-chan. I'm sure it's not the only thing." It explained why she hadn't been at the medical centre lately, and he'd been there a few times looking for her.

She hesitated, and then smiled back at him. "Well, we're really getting somewhere now we're on the council," she said. "I'm a little bit nervous, actually."

Around them people were taking their seats, until there were about 20 of them around the table. Naruto saw Yamato there, in his Anbu uniform but without the mask; and of course the Elders, including Koharu and Homura. They didn't seem all that pleased to see him there. Oh well. If he'd lost his 'hero' status in their eyes by defending Sasuke, so be it.

Speaking of Sasuke. The heads of all the main Konoha clans were here of course, as part of the Wider Council, and suddenly occurred to him that Sasuke could probably have been here too if he wanted to. He was the head of the Uchiha now, after all. It didn't matter that he was the _only_ member left of the clan.

He frowned. He wondered what Sasuke thought about being a clan head. Naruto was always very careful to not bring up anything like that with him. Honestly it was like walking on eggshells with that guy sometimes. He was very, very touchy about his family- which perhaps, given the circumstances, was understandable; Naruto was just the kind of guy who preferred to talk things out, no matter what the topic was. It was a little difficult for him to understand Sasuke's extreme reluctance to do the same, even with _him_.

The noise level around him increased as more people came into the room. _Let's leave thoughts of Sasuke out of this for now_ , he told himself. _It's time to be a council member_. And it was about time, too. This is where he needed to be, to be the next Hokage! And then he could _really_ help Sasuke.

Eventually Kakashi-sensei walked in and once he sat down, he nodded to the man at the head of the table, which was evidently the cue for the meeting to start- everyone fell silent and turned to face him.

"Welcome," the man said, clearing his throat and looking around. He looked very familiar, dark hair in a short spikey ponytail, but Naruto couldn't quite place him, and he couldn't see the crest on his shirt from back from here. "I will be chairing today's meeting as the temporary head of the Nara," the man continued.

 _Ahh_ , Naruto thought, remembering now. _Suzaku Nara._

"We have several new members to welcome today," he went on. "Ino Yamanaka, as new head of the Yamanaka-"

"What?" Naruto murmured to Sakura under his breath. Sakura grinned at him, and then grinned over at Ino.

"We have Sai, representing Root, and Sakura Haruno and Naruto Uzumaki as new general council members," he concluded, nodding at each of them in turn.

Most of the council members didn't seem to react to their presence, though those two Elders sure gave him the evil eye. _…ugh._

"We'll get started right away," Kakashi said to Suzaku, and he nodded.

"The first order of business," Suzaku said, turning to the Elders. "Koharu-san?"

The elder sat up straighter and shuffled some papers in front of her. "We lodge a formal complaint against the presence of former A-rank criminals on classified projects," she said, evenly, staring at the Hokage.

 _She means Sasuke_ , Naruto thought to himself. Just like Shikamaru had said.

"Noted," Kakashi said back, not batting an eye, and nodding to Shikamaru who was evidently writing it all down. "Next.

"We'd like to discuss it in more detail-" Koharu went on, glancing at Homura next to her.

"There's nothing I'd love more," Kakashi interrupted, his voice smooth and unperturbed. "However, we have a very tight schedule today. Perhaps if we have time at the end, we can circle back to it."

The elder was evidently not satisfied with that. "I must insist-"

"Suzaku-san," Kakashi said, a little more forcibly.

Being determined to prove Shikamaru wrong, Naruto did his best to maintain a neutral expression during that exchange. Even though the elders were wrong, and _rude_ \- they shouldn't just go around calling Sasuke an A-Ranked criminal! And it was stupid; this was Sasuke's _home_ , he belonged here. Why couldn't they just get used to it already?

At least Kakashi-sensei didn't put up with them. That was something.

"To begin the main agenda item," Suzaku said, "we'll first be hearing from the head of Anbu."

All heads turned towards Yamato, who nodded. Naruto was only mildly surprised at his title; he suspected that Yamato had had a few promotions in recent years.

"I'll get right to it," he began. "As many of you know, as part of the post-war investigations, we set out to compile all the records and information we had regarding Orochimaru and his past work. In this we were willingly assisted by Orochimaru himself, while he was being held securely in Konoha prison."

"An awfully suspicious willingness," Homura muttered.

Yamato made to continue, not reacting. "We soon came to suspect that his network had been much larger than we'd been aware of, and as such we assigned more resources to collating information and investigating his old bases and hide-outs." He nodded to Kakashi, who continued.

"We've had a number of sources aiding us on this," Kakashi-sensei said, "including, naturally, Sasuke and his associates. They have been a great asset to the project."

There were several glances exchanged around the table, and Naruto felt a heavy, sinking feeling in his stomach. Yes, he'd been pretty sure- increasingly sure, as time went on- that whatever Sasuke and those guys were doing, it had to do with that snake, or with Akatsuki- or both. He didn't like it, not one little bit.

Kakashi continued, and Naruto tried to concentrate. "Their assistance became even more necessary after an incident several months ago, which has until now been classified as Level One. Following a break-in at Konoha Prison-" At this the murmurs around the table became louder, and Naruto himself was startled. A break-in? He hadn't heard anything about that. And it was _months_ ago?

" _Ahem_ ," Kakashi said with a cough. "After a thorough investigation, it was concluded that former associates of Orochimaru were behind the break-in, which they had conducted in order to silence him. In this they were successful. He was killed."

The murmurs broke into fully-fledged outcries. Turning to Sakura, Naruto was shocked to see that she didn't seem surprised by the news. Wait- did she _know_?!

"Sakura," he said in a furious whisper. "Did you-"

" _Hush_ ," she said, not turning her attention away from Kakashi.

"Silence, please," Suzaku spoke above the noise. "I insist."

The mutterings gradually ceased, and Yamato took over from Kakashi.

"The former network, who are calling themselves _Ryuu_ , is not only larger than we thought, but is more powerful and much more active, even now, than we ever suspected. Putting together data from several recent missions, we can conclude that they now constitute a significant threat. Further attacks against the prison have been deterred."

He nodded at Kakashi, who continued. "We also have clear intelligence that, given the opportunity, they will also attack Konoha to retrieve the data we have in our archives. Threats have also been received against several Konoha citizens and allies."

 _Sasuke_. Have they threatened Sasuke? He clenched his fists under the table. Did they want him back? What would they do to him? Revenge? Torture?

 _Count to sixty, Naruto_ , he told himself.

There were no outraged outcries at this revelation; instead, the people around the table sat in stunned silence.

 _This all started so soon after the war ended, you know. People needed some breathing space._

That's what Shikamaru had said. It was an under-estimation; people had needed more than just _breathing space_. Konoha was still rebuilding; thousands of lives had been lost. There was no-one that hadn't been in mourning. If they had been lucky, they'd had the chance to bury the body of the person they lost; but hundreds still had not been found.

Naruto's mind flashed back to Neji's funeral. It had rained. And on everyone's face was a wish, a hope, a determination that these deaths had meant something. Konoha needed _peace_.

"Rokudaime," spoke Hiashi Hyuuga, breaking the silence. "Have these revelations also been kept from the other Kage?"

Kakashi nodded, after a moment. "What we need to decide now, as a council, is whether to face this new threat ourselves, or to involve the other villages."

"Is it not likely that their own intelligence sources have already identified the threat?" Hiashi went on.

"It is possible," Yamato said, "however we don't believe they have. As we have said, it has taken all this time for our own agents to determine the scale and depth of their operation. And the threat is very clearly directed against Konoha, for now."

"If I may," Suzaku said. "Keeping this from the other Kage would clearly threaten the cooperation we're trying to establish; the Union, in particular." He nodded to his nephew Shikamaru, who was Konoha's representative at the newly established Union.

"We'll be taking a formal vote," Kakashi-sensei said. "After a few moments to discuss it."

"Sakura," Naruto hissed under his breath, as everyone around the table began speaking about these revelations. "You knew about this? _All_ of this?"

She fidgeted, looking supremely uncomfortable. "Well," she said. "Not for that long. Only the past week or so-"

"You knew that Sasuke was in danger, and you didn't tell me?!"

She frowned. " _That_ just happened a few days ago, Naruto, and it was Level One- I would have told you if I could, I promise!"

He frowned back at her. "I knew something like this was going on," he said. "Sasuke shouldn't be involved in this stuff at all. How can Kakashi be letting him?!"

"That's what I thought as well, at first," Sakura said, reaching out to rest her hand on his arm. "But I've been watching him work- watching _them_ work. They know so much about these people, this network, what they're capable of- we need them. We need their knowledge and experience."

"But Sasuke-"

"He's okay with it, Naruto," Sakura interjected. "Really. I know it seems strange. I know you probably want to keep him away from this stuff for the rest of his life. But we can't."

He sighed. "Sakura…"

"We have to decide on our vote, Naruto-kun," she said, interrupting him again. "We're council members now, you know. Though I already know what mine is."

"Well, me too," Naruto said. "It's obvious, isn't it?"

"Perhaps not," she said with a little shrug. "You might be surprised."

"Let's get started," Kakashi said, and the room quietened.

Kakashi nodded to Suzaku. "I'll take a show of hands, from the clan heads and Elders first," he said. "The question is, should we reveal this information to the other Kages and the Union?" He glanced at each of clan heads and Elders in turn, who either nodded or shook their heads.

"The clan votes are as follows: for no, Hyuuga, Aburame, Inuzaka. For yes, Sarutobi, Akimichi, Nara, Yamanaka. The three Elders vote unanimously no. This gives 6 no's, and 4 yes's."

Naruto was shocked. It seemed that even after the war, so many clan heads and Elders _still_ weren't thinking beyond the boundaries of their own village. It was wrong.

Suzaku turned to Yamato and Sai. "Anbu votes no, Root votes yes," he noted. "Hokage-sama?" he went on.

"Yes," Kakashi-sensei answered.

"And the Uchiha vote?"

Naruto frowned. The what? Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement amongst the elders.

"Hokage-sama-" Homura began to say.

"The Uchiha vote is no," Kakashi-sensei interrupted, and the Elders instantly settled down.

"8 for no, 6 for yes. Our general council members," Suzaku went on.

"Yes," said Shikamaru.

"Yes," added Sakura.

And that just left Naruto. _Shit, it's a tie_! Suddenly everyone at the table was looking at him. He glanced at Shikamaru, and he nodded.

"Yes," said Naruto, taking a quick breath. "…of course," he added.

"Yes wins by one, Hokage-sama," Suzaku said.

The noise level around the table raised again at this, and Naruto wilted slightly with so many eyes on him, but he tried his best to look firm. After all, telling the other Kage was the right thing to do, of course it was! Things like this shouldn't be a secret. Secrets were dangerous; secrets meant trouble.

"We'll take a short break," Suzaku spoke above the noise.

"When we return," Kakashi-sensei said, "we'll be continuing this topic."

"Sakura," Naruto said as everyone filed out. He himself stayed sitting at the table. "What's the Uchiha vote?"

She hesitated, half out of her seat, but then looked at him and sat back down again. "When a clan head is absent, they either tell the Hokage in advance what their vote is, or the Hokage votes on their behalf," she explained. "Tsunade-sama voted as Uchiha head the whole time she was Hokage."

"She had two votes?" Naruto asked.

Sakura nodded. "Right. Sasuke could have that vote now, if he wanted it." She stood up, and walked away from the table.

…so. Was that 'no' vote from Kakashi-sensei, or from Sasuke himself?

* * *

When the meeting finally ended- hours later- Naruto was exhausted from the effort of keeping quiet. Even though he'd been angry and frustrated when he'd first found out what this 'secret' was all about, after hearing everyone talk about such a serious issue for this long, he wasn't sure how he felt anymore. The Council had made a lot of decisions today, now that they'd agreed- more or less- to inform the other villages about these people calling themselves _Ryuu_.

Naruto had gotten more than a few dark stares, and he couldn't help but feel that his tie-breaking vote had something to do with it. But hey, Kakashi-sensei had also voted yes, and surely that meant something.

He stayed sitting while everyone else left the room, nodding back to Sakura when she said goodbye. And then eventually, just he and the Hokage were left in the room.

"Sensei," he said, his voice low and cautious. "What if the vote had been no? Could you have told the other Kage anyway? You're the Hokage."

His old teacher stared steadily back at him for a long moment before speaking. "I could have," he said, "but do you think that would have been wise? Think about what would happen after that."

Naruto thought about it. "Well, they'd be angry, but…for something that important…" What if people in other lands started getting hurt? Getting _killed_ , because they didn't know about the danger? It would be Konoha's fault. The villages had to be more open with each other; things couldn't go back to the way they were before the war.

"I'd rather keep the council on my side, I think," Kakashi said to him, his tone light. "After all, running a shinobi village is a lot of work. And I think the workload will only increase from here. It's a team effort, and the council is part of that team."

Naruto hesitated. "But sensei-"

"It's your team too now, Naruto," Kakashi interrupted. "You're part of it, you know."

He frowned, thinking of the grim, dark faces of the Elders. What would it be like to be on a team with people he disagreed with so much. "I guess so," he said.

"You did well today, Naruto," Kakashi-sensei said. "Very composed. I knew Shikamaru was worried about nothing."

Naruto scowled at that. "You should have heard the lecture he gave me! And he actually said-"

"Let me guess, something about not throwing any tantrums? Well, you didn't," Kakashi said, leaning his head on his hand and grinning at him.

…well, he'd been pretty close at some moments.

"I have some questions though," he said. There'd been so much he hadn't really understood, and he wanted to understand it all. If he was really a part of this 'team', he needed to up his game.

Kakashi-sensei nodded at him. "Let's talk, then. We have a while. Ask away."

* * *

 _Coming up next: Naruto whines at the effort it takes to kiss Sasuke, and Sasuke declares that he definitely does NOT like Naruto back, so there._

* * *

A/N: so yeah, I've basically just made up my own idea about the decision-making process in Konoha; I couldn't seem to recall much about how it was actually done. I think I've included all the major clans, etc. Probably people like Naruto and Sakura wouldn't be on it in the past, but I've decided that Kakashi is slowly moving things in a more democratic direction and putting more people into positions of power.

I also realized that after Ino and Shikamaru's fathers' deaths, that probably makes them head of their clans. But Shikamaru already has enough on his plate, so he's delegated it to another family member. I let Ino become clan head now because she's awesome. And yeah, Yamato and Sai are now head of Anbu and Root because I say so.

Also the Union, for anyone who didn't read the Hiden novels, was established after the war for the villages to coordinate missions between them.

Oh and does anyone else want to slap Naruto just a bit, I mean everything relates back to Sasuke for him. Stop being so desperate, mate….. *snuggles Naru-kins*


	25. Walking Him Home

**Walking Him Home (Sasuke's POV)**

 _In which Naruto whines at the effort it takes to kiss Sasuke, and Sasuke declares that he definitely does NOT like Naruto back, so there._

A/N: I'll be going on writing hiatus after this chapter, so no more updates for maybe…well a month maybe... This semester my study-load is at a whole new level, it's insane, *pout*. Annnnnnd chapter 26 ends on a cliff-hanger, so I figured I'd be nice and start the break after this one, ehehe. Forgive me, dear readers…. *runs away and hides*.

* * *

The council meeting ran late as expected, past the end of the work day and into the evening. Sasuke sent Suigetsu home; he wasn't capable of spending the whole day coped up in the office. He and Juugo continued to work while they waited for Sakura to report back.

Finally there was noise and movement from upstairs as the meeting ended, and eventually Sakura appeared in the doorway.

"Ugh," she said, rubbing her eyes and stretching out. "…that was full-on."

"Here," said Juugo, standing up and pulling a seat out for her.

She sat, looking surprised. "Thanks," she said.

"So?" Sasuke asked.

"So," Sakura said. "The council agreed that the other Kage and village authorities should be informed of what's been happening. And that if they volunteer their help, Konoha will accept, and give them the authority to approach bases and groups in their territory."

"To capture, or kill?" Sasuke prodded, exchanging a glance with Juugo.

"Oh," she said. "Ah- I'm sure they'd rather capture, to try and get information. But there was no specific mention of a no-kill order."

Sasuke glanced at Juugo again, who frowned. It was a noticeable change from his usual, passive expression, and even Sakura seemed to notice something wrong.

"What is it, Juugo?" she asked, hesitantly.

When he didn't answer, Sasuke spoke up. "We still think that not all the people in these gangs are there by choice," he said. "Some of them might be being coerced, or maybe they just have nowhere else to go. Ex-prisoners, or- experiments."

Sakura frowned. "Maybe," she said, seemingly thinking about it for a moment. "…no, you're right. They could be. It would be better if any team sent out against them knew that. We should talk to Kakashi about it."

Sasuke nodded.

"But Sasuke," Sakura went on, before he could speak. "You should have come to the meeting today. You had every right to be there. You wouldn't even be the youngest clan head, not with Ino there."

Sasuke didn't respond to that. It was true that he'd used his clan-head vote today, but only because it was so important. He hadn't used it before, and didn't plan to use it again. Evidently it hadn't made a difference anyway, since it seemed this wouldn't be kept as a Konoha-only issue like it should be. He sighed.

"What else happened?" Juugo asked.

"Well," Sakura said. "The council agreed, in theory, that teams and groups should be pulled off war recovery missions and put on to missions to combat the network. Especially surveillance units. But in light of the chuunin incident, they need to have defence units with them as well. Naruto volunteered at once, of course."

"Of course," Sasuke repeated, with a scoff.

"We'll be meeting with Kakashi first thing in the morning to make some plans," she said, stifling another yawn.

"Let's call it a day then," Sasuke suggested. "You two go on ahead. I'm just going to finish these."

"Sasuke-" Sakura protested.

"It'll just be a minute. But you're tired; you should go."

She hesitated, but then yawned again. "Well, okay. Don't stay too late."

She stood, and waved as she left the room, followed closely by Juugo. He at least wouldn't question Sasuke staying behind.

Once they were gone, he too left the room, switching off the light behind him, and headed upstairs. As he expected, the building was practically empty; and yet he knew that Naruto was still here, and he wanted to know why.

* * *

As he approached Kakashi's office through the darkened hallway, the two of them emerged, evidently the last ones still here for the day. Naruto was looking unusually sombre, and Kakashi was clasping him on the shoulder and smiling at him reassuringly.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun," Kakashi called. "Still here?"

"Yeah," he said, staring at Naruto. "Sakura filled us in on everything. I'm going home now, though."

"You should go too, Naruto," Kakashi said to the blonde. "Try not to worry. Off you go."

"Mm, okay," Naruto said back, and starting walking.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke couldn't help but ask, as he fell into place beside Naruto.

He shrugged. "Oh, nothing. Long meeting, you know. Hey, I'll walk you home, okay?"

Sasuke almost stopped walking then and there. "I hardly need someone to walk me home-"

"It's on my way, anyway," Naruto interrupted with a small smile. "I _would_ fill you in on all the gossip from the meeting, but it was all a bit serious, actually," he added with a little, half-hearted laugh.

"I suppose it was," Sasuke said back. Naruto certainly looked serious. It wasn't entirely natural to see him this way.

They reached the front door and stepped out into the night. Sasuke knew that Naruto would have found out today- about what he was up to, the kind of work Kakashi had him doing. Sasuke had done his best to make sure Naruto hadn't find out until now, though he was surprised that he'd managed it for this long.

It was odd. He had thought that once Naruto heard about it, he would be angry. Furious.

He might as well get it over with; no point worrying about when this moronic dead-last would implode. "I suppose you know now," he began, cautiously. "About- well. About what I've been doing.

Naruto glanced at him as they walked through the quiet streets, and nodded. "Yeah," he said. "And at first I was really angry, you know."

"But, look-"

"I _was_ angry," Naruto interrupted. "I'm not now."

…he wasn't? That didn't seem possible. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "…you're not angry?" he asked, suspicious.

"No," Naruto said with a shrug. "Cause, before the meeting ended, everyone decided that all this Orochimaru stuff should stay a secret. From pretty much everyone, unless they really need to know. So that they don't worry about it."

"I'd agree with that," Sasuke said.

"I'm sure you _would_ ," Naruto said back, in a way that Sasuke didn't quite like. " _I_ didn't really agree, not at first. Secrets aren't good."

Yes, Sasuke knew very well how he felt about secrets.

"But then," Naruto continued, "I thought, everyone's still so- tired. Overworked. And probably, there's nothing they can do about it, except worry. And maybe they shouldn't have to worry. Maybe it wouldn't do any good, anyway."

" _I_ didn't need you worrying about me," Sasuke said. "It was fine."

They kept walking. It was late; there was a chill in the air. It was almost winter, after all.

Naruto sighed. That was unusual. It had been a while since Sasuke had seen him in such a serious mood for so long. "Maybe you don't _need_ me worrying about you," the blonde said, eventually. "I guess I get that. But really you should know by now- I worry about you anyway. I can't help it."

"Maybe you should try harder," Sasuke suggested, thinking a challenge might perk him up. His strange mood was truly disturbing; Sasuke wasn't sure how much more of it he could take.

"I don't think it would help," Naruto said to that, shooting him a quick frown. "I doubt I could do it."

"Oh, come on now," Sasuke teased. "That's not like you. Admitting there's something you can't do?"

Naruto pouted, and glared at him a little. "Aw, that's not fair, Sasuke! And you worry about _me_ , too, you said it yourself!"

" _Everyone_ should be worried about you," Sasuke quickly shot back. "You need all the help you can get!"

And _damn_ , he knew that was going to come up sometime! He really should be a lot more careful about what he said around Naruto. The idiot grabbed on to any little thing he said and wouldn't let it go.

It was only a short walk home from the tower. In no time they reached Sasuke's building and he went inside, and Naruto followed him all the way up the stairs, like it was a perfectly natural thing to do.

"Hey, I'm home now," Sasuke said, hinting, as they reached his front door.

"I haven't walked you all the way home until you're safely inside," Naruto said back with a quick grin.

Sasuke let out a deep breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding in. Naruto was smiling again. _Thank god._

"Honestly, Naruto," he said with an exasperated sigh. "Could you be any more annoying? I didn't need you to walk me home-"

"Oh, of course not," Naruto said, still smiling. The atmosphere had changed from being gloomy to- something else. _Amazing how much power this moron has,_ Sasuke thought to himself. _It's not right_.

"So I'm guessing you have some kind of ulterior motive for walking me home then," he said.

"Heh," Naruto said back. "Nah. But you probably have an ulterior motive for _letting_ me." He reached out and gently laid his hand on Sasuke's cheek before he had time to react.

Sasuke froze. " _Hey_ -" he said, in a low warning tone.

"What?" Naruto said with a grin, rubbing the pad of his thumb up and down Sasuke's cheekbone. "I'm not doing anything."

"We're in the hallway," Sasuke growled.

"Oh, you want me to come inside? That's a bit forward of you, but okay-"

Sasuke hissed, and bit at Naruto's fingers when they got too close to his mouth.

Naruto stepped towards him, and Sasuke instinctively stepped back and out of his reach. Naruto narrowed his eyes, and frowned, his smile disappearing in an instant. "Why do you always do that?" he asked.

"Do what?" Sasuke said, taking another step back when Naruto moved to follow him. No good could come of letting him get too close. It had only been a week since his birthday, after all. Sasuke couldn't let him get the wrong idea. Things like _that_ were not just going to happen again.

Naruto let out a deep, audible breath, and shook his head. "What do you mean, _do what_?" he said. "Make me go to so much _effort_ , just to kiss you!"

 _What makes you think you can just kiss me?_ Sasuke thought to himself. He shifted, feeling excruciatingly uncomfortable with this turn of events. "Naruto-"

"It's not fair, you know," Naruto went on. "It makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong. _Forcing_ you."

He should have insisted on walking home alone. This was _not_ a conversation he wanted to have. _Forcing_ him? "Maybe we shouldn't be kissing at all, then," Sasuke said. "No, scratch the _maybe_. We _definitely_ shouldn't be. Or anything else. It isn't right."

"Because we're both boys?" Naruto asked, with a sad, worried look on his face.

Sasuke blinked, shocked. Where the hell had _that_ come from?! He was so surprised that he couldn't help but laugh. "Naruto, what on _earth_?"

"Hey, are you laughing at me?!" Naruto cried, looking deeply offended, flushing bright red. "Why is that such a strange question to ask?! I mean, I _know_ you like me too, so why else wouldn't you-"

"-oh, I _do_ , do I?" Sasuke interrupted, still laughing. This was just too much!

Naruto's frown turned into a pout. "Cut it out, Sasuke!" he whined. "I'm trying to be serious here!"

"It doesn't suit you," Sasuke said, trying to still his laughter. It was very undignified, after all. "And I can't help it, when you make ridiculous comments like that! Who the hell cares about being _boys_?"

Naruto sighed. He was doing a lot of that tonight. "Lots of people. And, well. I _knew_ you wouldn't admit it-"

"Admit what?"

"Liking me back," Naruto said, glowering at him.

Sasuke managed to stop himself from rolling his eyes. As if! "You are _way_ too sure of yourself, dead-last!"

"Maybe. Maybe not," he said, taking another step forward, forcing Sasuke to take yet another one back to keep out of his reach. "At least just answer one question, okay?"

And all of a sudden Sasuke realised that this idiot had him once again, pinned to a wall, with nowhere to escape to. … _damn you._

"What's the question, then?" he asked, warily.

"I'm _not_ forcing you, am I? Sasuke?"

"Naruto," Sasuke began. "I could punch a hole into your chest and rip your heart out in an instant, if I wanted to."

"So that's a…no?"

"No-one could force me to do _anything_!"

Naruto nodded. "Good," he said, sounding satisfied. "So that means you _do_ like it."

Sasuke leaned against the wall and crossed his arms across his chest, trying to act like his heart-rate hadn't just doubled. "Honestly," he said, "you couldn't be _any_ more arrogant, could you?!"

"I could so," Naruto retorted, close enough now that Sasuke could hear him clearly, even though he was whispering. He reached out for Sasuke's arms, running his hands up and down to his shoulders, and stepping closer.

"Naruto-" Sasuke warned.

"Punch a hole in my chest then, if you don't like it," Naruto said, a teasing tone coming into his voice, as he placed a quick kiss on Sasuke's cheek and then nuzzled into the crook of his neck.

Sasuke didn't move away, but he also kept his crossed arms firmly between them.

"I don't like you," he said, shivering slightly. And he would prove it. No matter how close the moron was to him, no matter how he was nuzzling Sasuke's throat in that way, he _wouldn't_ react, he wouldn't. _Got that?!_ he told himself sternly, taking a shallow breath.

"Mm, okay," Naruto said back, tracing his fingers over Sasuke's other ear and breathing softly on his skin. "Well, at least you don't like anyone else, either."

He scoffed. "What the hell would you know?"

Naruto laughed, softly, at that, and moved his hands down from Sasuke's face to his waist, brushing over his stomach to his hips and gripping hard. "Oh, come _on_ ," he said. "You didn't know _anything_ before I showed you what you could feel."

Sasuke hissed, and snatched at Naruto's hands before they could sneak down the top of his pants. How _dare_ he?!

"Listen, dead-last-"

"I'm not going to kiss you," Naruto interrupted, lacing his fingers through Sasuke's, and keeping them resting on his hips. "If you want it, you'll have to get it yourself."

"I _don't_ want it!" Sasuke growled.

"Though I guess I still have to pay you back for the other night. I could probably do that without any kissing. But _god_ , that was amaz-"

"Shut up," Sasuke said. "Just shut up! I'm _not_ kissing you, and that was a _present_ , there will be no paying back of any kind-"

"It was the best gift I got, you know-"

"I'm going inside," Sasuke interrupted, snatching his hands away and pushing Naruto away from him. "And that was not an invitation!" He slid across the wall until he reached his door and shoved it open.

"I'll see you tomorrow then!" Naruto said, beaming at him. "Maybe I'll start walking you home all the time, how about that?"

Sasuke stalked through his front door and then slammed it in Naruto's face.

* * *

An hour passed and Sasuke still hadn't calmed down, the _nerve_ of that idiot, saying all those things, that stupid grin of his, that suggestive look on his face- ugh!

 _And he said he_ _ **liked**_ _me._

No, this wouldn't do. Give Naruto an inch and he'd take a mile. Starting from tomorrow, there had to be boundaries. No walking home. No touching. No _kissing._ And no birthday gifts of any kind!

Hours later, he finally fell asleep in a huff, still furious.

And then next thing he knew, he was in a field.

He could tell it was a dream, because the sky was a little too blue; the grass he was lying on a little too green. The air around him was warm and soft, and he felt calm, peaceful. Yes, definitely a dream.

Sasuke glanced down at his hands, at the shiny silver kunai he held, passing it back lazily from hand to hand. Had they been training?

…wait, _they_?

He turned to his left and there was Naruto, gazing up at the sky.

"Nice day, huh?" the moron said. His eyes; those blue eyes of his were exactly the same colour as the sky.

"Mm," Sasuke said back.

Naruto turned his face to smile at him, and leant over to give him a light, soft kiss on the cheek.

Oh, this _must_ be a dream. It couldn't be real; Sasuke should rip Naruto apart for just so casually kissing him like that, he should-

He should be annoyed- but he wasn't. He shouldn't _like_ it. …and yet.

* * *

Sasuke woke with a start in a cold sweat, his heart pounding. _No_ , he thought. _No no no_ **_no_** , he did _not_ have feelings about that dead-last, he was _not_ dreaming about him-

 _This can't be happening to me._

 _I can't have feelings for Naruto,_ he told himself. _I can't care about him._ What would he even do about something like that? It's not like anything could happen. It wouldn't work out. No good could possibly come from this-

-it was _dangerous_ , that's what it was. _I'm an Uchiha_ , Sasuke thought to himself. _And we all know what happens to Uchihas when they_ _ **care**_ _._

* * *

 _Coming up next: a kiss, a fight, and some top-notch evidence that "Denial" is Sasuke's middle name._

A/N: Ohhhhh well it's all out in the open now Naruto-kun, you've said it out-loud! Mmm now how many years will it take Sasuke to confess back?

Not sure how long my writing hiatus will last for, but it will be a good chance for me to take a step back and look at the story as a whole before pushing through to the end. Actually, I'm still trying to decide between three different endings- a happy, sad, and neutral one, ahaha. So some time off should help me decide that too!


	26. Konoha

A/N: Oh HELLO everyone, LOTROL is BACK ON! My hiatus was meant to last until November, but I just couldn't stand it anymore, so here we are! (Also, during my 'hiatus', I began and completed an SNS 6-chapter fic, "Leaning Towards the Sun"- check it out if you like! But anyway it didn't seem fair to stay away from LOTROL anymore…!)

I think we will stick to a one-chapter-per-fortnight schedule until my semester actually ends in November, then we will (hopefully) go back to one-a-week.

This chapter wasn't entirely planned, so the preview in Chapter 25 will apply to the next chapter instead. For now, enjoy some unhappy Sasuke (everyone's favourite!).

* * *

The hut where Juugo and Suigetsu lived was right on the edge of town amongst the trees. The wall that marked Konoha's boundary was only a few hundred metres away, where conveniently, a regular patrol of guards and Anbu passed by. No re-construction work had started here yet, so they didn't have any neighbours- making it a relatively peaceful place for Sasuke to escape to. He was doing more and more _escaping_ these days.

It was getting cold in Konoha as winter progressed, but there was a break in the rain today and the sun was shining. Sasuke lay on a patch of grass outside Juugo and Suigetsu's 'temporary' home. Juugo was sitting cross-legged and straight-backed nearby, eyes closed lightly in concentration, with his usual contingent of woodland creatures all around him. Suigetsu was swimming, in what had once been a small pond, but which was now on its way to becoming a small _lake_ thanks to Suigetsu's efforts.

Sasuke looked up at the trees. He'd travelled a lot the past few years. There was nothing particularly special about Konoha's trees. The same trees filled the woods that filled this whole country; and yet, looking up at them, Sasuke knew they were the same trees he'd grown up with, that he'd climbed, that he'd hid in, that he'd practiced his skills on. The poor trees had been subjected to all manner of fire and lightening jutsus, and an array of small throwing weapons. They probably hadn't deserved it.

And the smell; what was it? The leaves of the trees, the flowers that grew in the area? Konoha had its own scent, and Sasuke felt like he probably could have recognized it anywhere.

He hadn't missed Konoha, and he hadn't wanted to come back; he was _sure_ he didn't want to be here now. He'd been through a lot- the worse times of his life- in this town, at the hands of these people. Not that leaving had stopped bad things from happening. Really, in a way, Sasuke was legitimately surprised that he was still alive. He could have died many times by now- maybe he _should_ have died.

He sighed and pushed himself up into a sitting position. He sounded like an old man of fifty, looking back at a life of regrets. But here he was, at only eighteen. There was a long time to go before he was fifty. What on earth was he going to do with all that time?

"What's up?" Suigetsu called out to him, emerging from the water to lounge on the little wharf Juugo had built him. "Are you _thinking_ again? You know that no good will come of _that_."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I was just trying to decide when we're going to leave Konoha," he said.

At that, Juugo opened his eyes and gazed over at him. He didn't move, and he didn't speak, he just gazed.

"Where are we going?" Suigetsu asked, tilting his head. "Somewhere near the ocean this time?"

"Sure," Sasuke said. "Maybe." Why not? They could go anywhere, do anything.

"So you don't know," Suigetsu said back. "You don't _actually_ have any plans at all."

Sasuke shrugged. They'd figure it out. After this mess with those troublesome dragon groups was over, maybe they could ask for a long mission…or maybe they could just pick a random direction and start walking.

Suigetsu narrowed his eyes and pushed himself further out of the water, looking unimpressed and unconvinced by Sasuke's apparent devil-may-case attitude. "But what about Orochi-"

" _Don't_!" Sasuke hissed at him. There were shinobi barely a kilometre away from them; they couldn't talk about things like _that_! "After we've done our job here- we won't have any more obligations."

"Sasuke," Juugo said, finally speaking. He had two birds on his shoulders, and a small grey cat in his lap. "This is your home."

Sasuke scoffed. "The hell it is."

"Ahh, there he goes again!" Suigetsu exclaimed. "Ohh, Konoha's such a horrible place! They were so mean to me! They're just so awful, they made my god-like assassin brother do that thing-"

"Suigetsu!" Sasuke shot, tensing up and bristling. "Don't talk about things like that. It's none of your business!"

Suigetsu glared at him. "As if it's _not_ ," he shot back.

Sasuke growled. How _dare_ he! No-one was allowed to talk about his brother. No-one should even _think_ about him, not even Sasuke, the subject was off limits, no exceptions!

"Sasuke," Juugo interjected. "Itachi is what brought us together. And we saw what you went through."

He frowned. "But-"

"So don't expect us to stay silent on the matter," Juugo interrupted.

Sasuke gaped at him; did Juugo just _interrupt_ him?! And it was completely irrelevant that he'd formed their team to track down Itachi; what did that have to do with anything? And it wasn't _his_ fault that they'd been there, after Sasuke had learned the truth. If he'd had his way, they wouldn't have been.

"It's not like this town really has a problem with you Uchihas," Suigetsu said, shocking Sasuke even further. "They'd probably be pretty pissed to find out that back in the day they were planning an uprising or whatever. But how would they find out?"

"They _won't_ find out," Sasuke growled at him. "And it's none of your-"

"Even though they might think better of your brother," Juugo interrupted again. "If they knew."

"Juugo!" Sasuke scowled.

"So which is more important?" Suigetsu asked. "Your clan's reputation, or your precious big brother's?"

"No-one's finding out _anything_!" Sasuke declared. "I don't want them _knowing_ anything, I don't want them _thinking_ anything, and they've got no right to say anything about it at all!"

And if he had _his_ way, the name _Uchiha_ wouldn't cross anyone's mind ever again. This town had taken an already messed up clan and twisted it even further; and they'd done even worse than that- _much_ worse. No, they had no right to the truth!

"This town really isn't so bad," Suigetsu said, blatantly ignoring Sasuke's glare. "Good food, entertaining people, a nice place to sleep. Oh, and the coffee's good too."

"Don't get used to it," Sasuke warned. "You guys aren't from here anyway, so you can't stay. We'll leave before too long."

"Actually," Juugo began. "Your Hokage has offered us permanent residence."

…he _what_?! No, he couldn't have-! That was- insane!

"He didn't," Sasuke growled. "He couldn't possibly have."

"Mmm, well, he _did_ ," Suigetsu confirmed. "In recognition of our service. We won't get it until _after_ our service, but then we're allowed to stay."

Juugo nodded.

"Why would you even _want_ to stay here?!" Sasuke exclaimed. "Why Konoha, of all places?"

"Because it's where our cute little Sasuke-chan grew up," Suigetsu answered with a grin. "And where he'll get married and have cute little babies of his own-"

"What on _earth_?!" Sasuke interrupted. "Don't say ridiculous things like that!"

"We don't have a home," Juugo said to him. "And no-one's offered us one before."

Sasuke scowled. Who needed a home? This certainly wasn't his; it hasn't been for a long time. And like hell he was staying here, let alone- his scowl deepened. It was all ridiculous. What had gotten in to these two?

"Well, I don't care what he offered you. The council certainly wouldn't approve something like that. And _I_ won't be staying, so- do what you want!"

Sasuke was fuming, and considered marching into Kakashi's office right this instant to demand answers. What a stupid thing for Kakashi to do- and did he think it would make Sasuke more likely to stay here? It _wouldn't_ , so there!

"I think the Hokage is interested in Sakura," Juugo said, in his calm composed voice.

Suigetsu snorted from the water. "Oh yes, absolutely," he said.

"What are you guys talking about?" Sasuke asked irritably. "What has that got to do with-" Wait. Sasuke tensed and narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean, he's _interested_ in Sakura?"

"Well," Juugo said. "He…ah. Suigetsu?"

"He's interested in her like a husband is interested in a wife," Suigetsu said to Juugo, and Juugo nodded, looking relieved. "And Sakura is interested right back."

"Yes," Juugo said.

"What the hell are you guys talking about?!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"He doesn't know," Juugo said to Suigetsu.

"He probably thinks Sakura is still in love with _him_ ," Suigetsu said back.

Oh, he had had enough of all this! He jumped to his feet and prepared to storm off. "I don't know what's gotten in to you two!" he declared. "But no-one is in love with anyone, no-one's finding out about Itachi, and we are _not_ staying in Konoha!"

And with that he whirled around and ran off as fast as he could, with Suigetsu snickering at him as he went.

* * *

Sasuke was furious- he couldn't believe the idiocy of some people! He stomped off through the forest away from his crazy teammates and back towards town. He didn't know where he was going or what he was doing. He was just filled with an angry, restless energy, and had an overwhelming urge to destroy things, and maybe beat some people up.

So when he got closer to town and spotted Rock Lee, that is exactly what he decided to do. It took literally zero effort to convince Lee to do some sparring, and in no time at all they were at the training centre, and Sasuke was getting his revenge against his assigned training partner for all those embarrassing defeats back when Sasuke was still recovering.

"Well done, Sasuke-kun!" Lee exclaimed, his usually wide eyes even wider in appreciation. "Look how much better you've gotten!"

Sasuke just grunted in reply and threw the green-clad boy across the room, where he bounced off a wall and headed straight back towards him.

"And again!" Lee called, as he sent one of his specialised fist attacks in Sasuke's direction. "I won't go easy on you any more, Sasuke-kun!"

Go _easy_ on him?! Just who did he think he was talking to?! Sasuke knew he still wasn't 100% healed and recovered, and the new arm was still throwing him off balance, but he could sure as well whip this guy into the dirt!

He growled and evaded Lee's attack, and swiftly dodged to the side, acquiring a katana from the wall and speeding back towards Lee. He would show him, he would show _everyone_ , what he could do. He was a _shinobi_ , and shinobi didn't sit around obsessing about the past, or thinking about their "feelings". They trained, and they attacked.

Their sparring match went on and on, with Sasuke's pent-up energy pushing him onwards past what Sakura would probably deem a 'safe' amount of training time. He didn't care. He just wanted to move.

"Almost got you that time, Sasuke-kun!" Lee called to him with a grin, disabling Sasuke's arm and knocking the katana out of his hand; Sasuke almost called up a chidori and annihilated him right on the spot, he was so angry. "There, that's better!" Lee went on, as Sasuke ducked and dodged, and got his weapon back.

He scowled and pushed all other thoughts out of his mind, and focused all his attention on the match. And finally, after what seemed like hours, Sasuke had burnt up his excess energy, and let Lee end their training session.

* * *

Sasuke rolled his shoulders and neck as he walked out of the training centre towards his apartment. He obviously needed to spend much more time training, if he was going to get back to full strength. Tonight he would soak in the bath and put on some of that ointment that Sakura had given him, and then he would be just fine tomorrow.

He passed to tower on his way home, growling to himself as he did so. It wouldn't be long before the delegation from Cloud would be in town, and would hear about the troubles Konoha was having. Sasuke wasn't looking forward to all of that. And he, Juugo, and Suigetsu still had a lot of work to do, preparing for Konoha's retaliation against these dragon groups.

Thinking about those two almost brought all of Sasuke's anger back to the surface. They were _insane_. They must be- ill, or they'd eaten something they shouldn't have, or- maybe they'd been poisoned. The things they were saying…! Sasuke couldn't believe they were even _considering_ staying in Konoha, and after all the trouble he went through to drag them here in the first place!

 _This better not interfere with my plans to leave_ , he thought to himself, frowning. He was _not_ staying here, not with all these crazy people talking about former teammates being in love with former teachers- and former teammates being so interested in _him_.

No, Sasuke had to leave Konoha, and the sooner the better. The longer he stayed here…well, things were getting messy. Naruto was getting used to him being here, and that could lead nowhere good. If Sasuke stayed away for a while, surely he would snap out of it, and realize how ridiculous it all was.

What did Naruto want from him, anyway?! Did he want them to _date_? Be _boyfriends_? No, no, it was impossible; and not because they were both _boys_ , as that moron had said. But how could two people who had tried to kill each other as many times as they had- who had _hated_ each other for so long- ever be together? All those times in the hospital, and the times since, they didn't matter, they were just a distraction, a release, something that had been necessary and yes, enjoyable, but it wasn't anything more than that.

And if Sasuke sometimes felt a little light-headed when Naruto was around, it was probably just because he was blown away by the depth of the blonde's pure idiocy. What kind of moron would be so convinced that he l _iked_ Sasuke- and that Sasuke liked him _back_ \- when Sasuke hadn't done anything to make him think so?!

 _Coming up next: a kiss, a fight, and some top-notch evidence that "Denial" is Sasuke's middle name._

* * *

A/N: ahhh it's so nice to be back~! I hope you all liked this chapter, I'm still getting back in the swing of things. Come and say HI in the comments!


	27. Lightening

**Naruto Fanfic: Lost on the Road of Life (27 of 44)**

 **Lightning (Naruto's POV)**

 _In which there is a kiss, a fight, and some top-notch evidence that "Denial" is Sasuke's middle name._

A/N: Y'll may hate me when you finish this chapter. Just a heads-up. Anyway, the following events MAY seem surprising…but I'll bet some of you clever ducklings saw this coming from back in Chapter Six, didn't you?

* * *

For the past week since the meeting, Naruto's clones had been spread out in an almost perfect circle around Konoha. It wasn't subtle; any shinobi with enough skill to sense the clone army's unique chakra pattern could tell instantly that something was up. But the clones attempted to keep to the trees, and out of sight of any civilians or lower-level shinobi that passed by.

Naruto had been out here himself almost constantly since the meeting, searching for things the clones would miss. And both the clones and the previous scouting teams had missed a fair bit- there was plenty of evidence that people had been here. Not people from Konoha; not allies. Naruto and the clones found old camp sites, hidden stockpiles of supplies, the occasional dropped weapon, markings on trees. Signs that Konoha was being reconnoitred.

Kakashi-sensei was taking the threats against Konoha very seriously. Pretty much all of the teams out on long-term missions- most of them doing what they called 'war recovery'- had been recalled, and they would be re-assigned as soon as possible onto missions to shut down old research stations and hideouts, or to wash through villages and flush out the so-called 'dragon' networks.

Naruto had needed to face some pretty hard truths. Here he was, keeping a secret from the people of Konoha- from his friends, even. Konohamaru had come to him and asked what was happening. Naruto had lied. He'd _lied_. It was for his own good, and yet- is this what it meant to have responsibility? To have power?

He'd certainly had a lot of time to think about it, this past week. And he did think about it; about secrets, and about Sasuke. Naruto wasn't stupid, he had known that whatever Sasuke had been doing, Naruto wasn't going to like it. Maybe the fact that Sasuke had kept it from him meant he finally _cared_ what Naruto thought.

And in the meantime, Sasuke had been colder than ever towards him this week. Almost frosty. Naruto decided to take this as a positive sign. He really _had_ been getting under the bastard's skin; Sasuke just couldn't ignore him now, he couldn't even keep a straight face when Naruto was around. He actually tensed up when Naruto got close to him, and Naruto thought he caught the occasional blush as well.

Naruto frowned to himself as he jumped through the trees. Yes, it was progress. Progress towards what, he wasn't exactly sure. Yes, he was certain now that Sasuke felt something for him. More than friendship. More than teammates. More than rivals. That didn't mean he'd let himself do something about it.

 _Oh well. There's nothing else I can do about it._

He tried to put thoughts of Sasuke and his pretty, blushing face out of his mind; he had a job to do. Today the Raikage was arriving in Konoha, and his visit needed to go smoothly. Shikamaru had been beside himself all week, rushing around briefing people on what they should and shouldn't say, lecturing Sasuke and his team to stay out of sight, putting together an itinerary of meetings and such for the Raikage and his guests. He and the Hokage were determined that the visit would go well, and wouldn't interfere with the fragile alliance they and others were working so hard to maintain after the war.

Everyone needed to be on their best behaviour, Naruto included. Well, he'd behave if _they_ all did. The Raikage, well… _ugh_. But at least Omoi was coming too, that should be fun, as long as he didn't try anything.

 _Ah, finally_ , Naruto thought to himself as he spotted them through the trees. They were meant to get here yesterday; Shikamaru thought their tardiness was deliberate.

"Took you long enough!" Naruto called, landing right in front of Omoi.

The Raikage's assistant grinned and looked him up and down. "Naruto! You're our welcoming committee, huh?"

"I've been waiting all day, you know," Naruto said with a mock-frown.

"No-one tells the Raikage to speed up," Omoi said to that. "Give it a go sometime!"

 _Oh, no thank you!_ Naruto thought to himself. That guy scared the hell out of him, and that was saying a lot, after so many years of dealing with Tsunade-baa-chan.

"They'll be along in a minute," Omoi said, breaking his train of thought. "Lollipop?" he asked, handing a brightly-wrapped piece of candy.

"Thanks," Naruto said. "Oh, strawberry!" Omoi's favourite flavour.

And then the Raikage arrived, and Naruto valiantly put on a smile and went to greet him.

"Welcome to Konoha, Raikage-sama," he said, swallowing his nerves. Diplomatic duties were a must for a Hokage-to-be!

"We need a bodyguard to walk through your forests now, eh?" the widely-built monster of a man boomed.

"Oh, it's just a courtesy," Naruto said back. "I'm sure you know the way!"

"Certainly. And let's get going, some of us are hungry."

* * *

After accompanying the Raikage and his group to the tower, Naruto had a few hours to himself. The clones were still on patrol around Konoha, and Naruto would join them himself after dark, just to be extra safe. Until then, he was free. _Hmm…what to do?_

He really should sleep; he was exhausted. For some reason, maintaining this vast number of clones and keeping them under control was wearing him out a lot more than it should be. Maybe he _had_ been doing too many missions, latelty.

But instead of heading home when he reached the tower exit, he instinctively turned left, following his radar. Sasuke wasn't in his office, and Naruto wanted to know where he was. It took longer than usual to track him down, but eventually he found him in the training centre next to the hospital.

And it looked like he'd tracked down the rest of Konoha, as well. The training centre was packed! People were everywhere, circled around the main training floor, and up on the platforms around the edges of the building.

And there in the middle was Sasuke, duelling with that silver-haired freak, dodging a gigantic sword and attempting to launch a kunai straight into his chest. Naruto froze. _No! He's not strong enough to be fighting on this level yet!_

There was a wave of applause as Sasuke evaded the fearsome sword and successfully landed his attack on his opponent. _…woah. That was awesome,_ Naruto thought, breathing a sigh of relief. And it seemed that everyone else thought so, too. What was this, Konoha's new spectator sport?

Naruto spotted Sakura up on the gallery and went up to join her, weaving his way through the crowd, nodding to friends and familiar faces. Sakura was easy to find, since she was standing next to that giant, Juugo.

"Naruto-kun," Sakura greeted him with a wary smile when he arrived at her side. "Did everything go okay?"

"Yeah," he said, smiling back. "Though the Raikage has a few more people with him than we expected. And he thought they sent me out there to guard them, ha."

"Didn't we?" Sakura said with a small giggle. She exchanged a glance with Juugo next to her, which made Naruto feel distinctively uncomfortable. _So these two seem to be getting on. …I don't like it._

"Well, maybe," Naruto said. "So um, what's happening here….?" He glanced around the arena-style room, and back down to the training ground, where Suigetsu had abandoned his sword and was using some kind of water-based attack against Sasuke.

Sakura grinned, a little cheekily. "Kakashi wanted Sasuke and all of us out of the way when the Raikage arrived, because, well, you know," Sakura explained.

"Yes, I do know," Naruto said back. Obviously, anything that could stand in the way of peaceful diplomatic relations had to be removed, of which Sasuke Uchiha was Obstacle No. 1. "So you decided to make him fight in front of a huge crowd instead?"

"Ah….hah, well…" Sakura stammered, looking sheepish. "We didn't expect to become a spectacle…"

If it was Sasuke fighting, how could it not be? Naruto was surprised to see just how far he'd come adjusting to his new arm. It occurred to him that he hadn't really seen Sasuke fight or train for months; not since before he'd left Konoha. _And that training had always been with_ _ **me**_. Naruto felt his stomach clench in unhappiness. Yes, he was jealous. It was bad enough Sasuke was spending all his time with these two guys- now he was training with them too?

"Why didn't you just go to one of the training fields?" Naruto asked Sakura, as down on the ground Suigetsu had Sasuke in a headlock, much to the amusement of the crowd.

"She refuses to go there anymore," Juugo said, and Sakura blushed.

Naruto blinked. _Uh, Sakura-chan_ , he thought to himself. _You're not really getting along with these guys are you?! Come on…_

Sakura turned away from them both, moving her attention back to the fight. "This should be fun," she said.

Suigetsu still had Sasuke in a headlock, and Naruto was beginning to wonder why on earth Sasuke was letting him get the upper hand when he felt a surge of chakra, and Sasuke sent a huge, over-powered chidori straight into Suigetsu's chest, and the silver-haired boy imploded in an explosion of water.

There were gasps and shrieks from the crowd as all around them people froze, not understanding what they'd just seen. Had Sasuke Uchiha just blown someone up in front of them?! Was Suigetsu _dead_? Or was it some kind of trick?

Well, Sakura and Juugo didn't seem bothered. And Naruto had heard stories about just what this fish-guy could do.

The floor was now covered in water up to Sasuke's ankles, and he quickly leapt up to grip onto the nearest wall to escape it. And then below him the shallow pool of water began heaving, whipping up into waves that crested closer and closer to where Sasuke was clinging to the wall.

Sasuke didn't seem to be concerned by this; instead, he was running his eyes back and forth across the floor, and suddenly he grinned ( _what?! He's smiling?!_ ), and threw a wire-wrapped kunai into the water, and sent a stream of lightening-jutsu running along it. The floor and the water covering it lit up in a spectacular display, highlighting a dozen other kunai that Sasuke must have placed there earlier.

And then before Naruto knew what was happening, the waves of water shot out towards Sasuke and ripped him forcibly off the wall and back down to the ground, where out of nowhere Suigetsu had reformed, seemingly unharmed.

There were ripples of surprise and delight from the crowd, and even some applause and cries of wonderment. Konoha didn't have anything like this; what kind of hidden technique were they witnessing?

Well, as impressive as Suigetsu may have been, his opponent was still _Sasuke_ , and he'd still just been hit with a bolt of lightning. Suigetsu had Sasuke in a tight grip from behind, but Sasuke just stood still, waiting, and in a few moments, his white-haired opponent faulted, and crumbled to the ground behind him. The fight was over.

The scattered applause around the room became louder, and Naruto frowned, feeling extremely unhappy. He turned to Sakura. "Seriously, I'm not sure letting him do that was a good idea?"

"Oh, it _definitely_ wasn't a good idea," Sakura said. "We're going to be in so much trouble when we get back to the tower."

Juugo nodded in agreement.

"But who knew that Sasuke was such an exhibitionist?" she went on.

Naruto could have told her a few things on that topic.

* * *

The weather had made a turn for the worst; it was getting _cold_. Naruto made a few quick circuits around the perimeter, checking up on all the clones and making sure all was in order. It was a quiet night, with only the wind blustering through the trees making any noise. Well, that and the clones kicking up a fuss whenever their original stopped by. Naruto shut down their whining and had them get back to work, and stop shivering and sniffling like genin. They had a job to do, damn it!

Naruto wondered if it were just the sheer number of clones he had out at the moment that was causing problems keeping them under control.

After a few hours in the cold, dark, and lonely woods, Naruto instinctively headed downtown for a bit of company and noise before he went home to bed. The bar district was livelier than it had been in ages, with so many teams back in town after being recalled off their old missions, and yet to be deployed onto new ones; plus, the delegation from Cloud seemed to have mixed some fresh blood into town.

Naruto stood outside of one bar, giving himself one last chance to go home to bed instead; and then he heard someone call his name.

"Oh! Naruto!" came a voice, and he turned and spotted Omoi heading towards him. "Where've you been? Haven't seen you all day."

He grinned. "I'm not Hokage yet, you know, I have things to do other than be in the tower all day!"

"Pity. It's been dull," Omoi said, coming to stand beside him. "Are you getting something to drink? There's stuff here we don't have back home, you know."

He shook his head. "There doesn't seem to be much point in me drinking," Naruto said with a small whine. "I barely get a buzz."

Omoi glanced sideways at him, seeming surprised. "Really? Well, that explains how you could still walk straight that one night-"

"Oh, don't tease me!" Naruto interrupted, cutting him off quickly. "And how can you even remember anything about that night?" Honestly, he hadn't been 100% sure how much Omoi _did_ remember.

"Hey, I'm no lightweight!" Omoi retorted, with a sulky frown. "But I find it hard to believe you've never been drunk. You certainly put on a good act of it. No-one would ever know."

Eh, well, Naruto didn't really need to be intoxicated to do stupid things.

"Now that you mention it," Naruto said, "there was this drink I had this one time, really strong and sweet, it was bright red and came in these little bottles-"

"Oh, you mean Ruby Water?" Omoi asked. "We have that. It's really expensive, where did you have it?"

"Expensive? Well, this was while we were visiting the daimyo, so. I got a few as gifts. It's all gone now." And if that meant no more hangovers, great; really, Naruto didn't think he was missing out on all that much!

They were both shivering in the cold now that they were drifting further away from the throng of people. "Hey, while I get a chance," Omoi began to say, stepping closer to Naruto and lowering his voice. "We heard some pretty surprising things today at the tower. Your Hokage was trying to downplay it, you know, but I couldn't help thinking about it-"

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Naruto interrupted with a grin. "Have you been letting your imagination run away with you again?"

Omoi stuck his tongue out at him, and Naruto laughed. _Oh, he's such a child!_

"Come on now," Omoi went on. "This could be _bad_. What if there's more of these guys than you think, and they get into Konoha, and there's all kinds of scrolls and things stored here you don't even know about-"

"Oi, just how do you think they're gonna get into Konoha past _me_?!" Naruto said, interrupting him again. "There's no chance!"

Omoi glanced at him. "Well, if you say so, but-"

"I do say so!"

Omoi stuck his tongue out again and Naruto grinned. "Oh well, it's for the higher-ups to figure out, I suppose."

He shivered in the cold, and Naruto was surprised. It wasn't any colder here than it was in Cloud.

"So," Omoi spoke again. "If you weren't drunk that night, I guess you _do_ remember it all." And then before he knew what was happening, Omoi stepped closer to him, and kissed him.

Naruto was so stunned he didn't even react, he just stood there frozen in place as someone- _someone not Sasuke, shit, what is this?-_ was _kissing_ him.

A few moments passed, a few _long_ moments, before his brain began functioning properly again. He make a noise of surprise and Omoi pulled away, frowning when he saw the look on Naruto's face.

"What's wrong?" Omoi asked.

Naruto stepped away and put his hands up in front of him. "Ahh, no, no- we can't do that-"

"You taste like strawberry," Omoi murmured, glancing at his mouth.

Warning bells started going off in Naruto's head- something was wrong, something was very, very wrong- what was his brain trying to tell him?!

He looked around in alarm, and then, stomach sinking, he spotted him. …Sasuke!

 _Oh, shit! What's he doing here? He didn't see us, did he? Did he?!_

Judging by the look on his face, Sasuke almost certainly _had_ seen them. And he didn't look angry; he wasn't glaring daggers at him. He looked _crushed_.

* * *

There had been a lot of times in Naruto's life when he'd had good cause to be scared. He'd been through some pretty terrifying stuff after all, and so far, he'd survived it all- more or less. But he'd never experienced anything quite like this feeling of dread filling up his insides as he jumped over rooftops chasing Sasuke home.

He knew Sasuke had been there. He knew what Sasuke had _seen_. How could Naruto have been that stupid?! Yes, he'd pushed Omoi away as soon as his brain let him move, but evidently it had been too late.

He landed on the rooftop terrace of Sasuke's building and there he was, sitting cool as a cucumber on the couch, as if he hadn't just dashed across half of Konoha.

Naruto stayed crouched on the handrail, gripping it hard. Sasuke stared back at him, and even though it was dark, Naruto could tell from the absolutely expressionless look on his face that this probably wasn't going to go well for him.

Time passed, and neither of them said anything, just stared. _What am I meant to say?!_

He coughed, and cleared his throat. "Uh…" he began, shifting down from the rail to stand up against it. "Um, Sasuke, so-"

"What do you want, Naruto?" Sasuke interrupted him, his voice cold and dead.

 _…shit!_

He looked down at his feet. "Look, Sasuke, I'm pretty sure you just saw something, but it wasn't what you think, so-"

"What did I see?"

"You- well, I- look, I pushed him right away, he won't do it again, and I swear to _god_ -"

"Why should I care who you're kissing, dead-last? He's done that before. Obviously."

Naruto flushed a deep red, and felt a sinking, damning feeling pulling him down. "Well, the thing is, maybe- okay, we did, well, in the past, it wasn't anything serious, and-"

-and he couldn't go on. He had never felt this guilty about anything in his life. Naruto forced himself to look up and meet Sasuke's eyes. _Show me something, Sasuke, tell me what you're feeling!_

Sasuke leant back against the couch, arms folded firmly across his chest, and shrugged. "Great. I guess you can go back to him then. Doesn't bother me."

Naruto growled under his breath and clenched his fists. "It damn well does bother you, bastard, and it _should_! I'm not interested in anyone else and you damn well know it!"

"You're angry at _me_?" Sasuke said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, you ice queen, and you're angry at _me_! Why don't you just be fucking honest for once in your life?!"

" _When_ ," Sasuke said. "Tell me when."

When. When what? When- _oh_.

Naruto looked back down at his feet, and shifted, anger gone. This was all his own fault, after all.

"During the war?" Sasuke prompted.

"…no," Naruto said.

"Before the war," Sasuke prompted again.

"No." He glanced up, and caught Sasuke glaring at him, his eyes burning.

"So. When you got out of the hospital."

"…yeah," Naruto said.

"When I was away."

"Yes."

And there was a brief moment, in the transition between Sasuke's death-glare and his ice-queen look of indifference when Naruto caught a flash of that same crushed expression he'd seen in town.

Naruto stepped forward closer to the couch. "Sasuke, look, when you left town- you left _me_ , I was upset, okay? And you said it was over-"

"There wasn't anything to be over, Naruto. And there isn't now. Kiss who you want."

Naruto growled again. "What the hell is your problem?! Why won't you just admit that you like me too-"

"I don't," Sasuke said.

"Sasuke-"

"It's late. Go home. We're done here."

"But Sasuke-"

Sasuke stood up from the couch, shot him one last glance, and then moved to the stairs.

 _Follow him. Go after him_ , Naruto told himself, but he just stood there, frozen in place.

And then he was gone.

* * *

 _Coming up next: Sakura loses patience with Sasuke's foul mood, pleases Kakashi by bringing him coffee, and displeases Pakkun by not bringing him anything._

A/N: *cough* *shifts awkwardly* Um so, the thing is…I had this dream one time, when I was writing chapter six, about Naruto and Omoi…it was really hot so…anyway… And he was UPSET about Sasuke, okay, and as if he was going to stay celibate… But he really shouldn't have. BAD BOY.

…*runs away and hides*.

Ahhhh but if you all don't hate me TOO much, stop by the comments and say HI, writing this fic is definitely a marathon and I need to keep up my momentum- comments are the very best thing for that!


	28. Thunder

**Naruto Fanfic: Lost on the Road of Life (28 of 44)**

 **Thunder (Sakura's POV)**

 _In which Sakura loses patience with Sasuke's foul mood, pleases Kakashi by bringing him coffee, and displeases Pakkun by not bringing him anything._

* * *

Something had clearly happened, because Sasuke was in a fouler mood than Sakura had ever seen before- and that was saying a _lot_.

The four of them had been banished to her office at the medical centre for as long as the Raikage was in town, but they had barely gotten any work done for the past few days, and as for today- forget it. Suigetsu had stormed off after less than an hour of Sasuke's nagging and nit-picking, and even Juugo's normally peaceful demeanour was becoming a little tense.

"Captain Yamato said they've been picking up some worrying reports," Juugo murmured to Sakura, from where they were huddled in the corner out of Sasuke's way. If they could have hid from him, they would.

"Mm, the movements pretty much match what your birds have been saying, right?" Sakura said, reaching out to pet the pretty blue one that was currently on his shoulder. She was actually starting to recognize some of his more frequent visitors.

"Juugo!" Sasuke cried out from across the room, where he was shooing birds off the table. "Get these fucking birds out of here right now-"

" _Sasuke_!" Sakura shrieked, stunned to hear him swearing. "Cut it out! Forget the birds, they're not hurting anyone!"

"How the hell are we meant to get any work done, Juugo, I swear to god-"

"Oh, that is _it_!" she screeched at him, standing up and waving her arms. "Get out of my office, right now! I mean it!"

He just glared at her. "It's _our_ office this week," he said with a sulk.

Sakura clenched her hands into fists and advanced towards him. "It is _my_ office, Sasuke, and you do _not_ want to get on my bad side-"

"I'm not going anywhere!" he declared, crossing his arms. "Just try and make me, I _dare_ you!"

"Oh, fine! Juugo, let's go, I can't be around this child any longer!" She turned to Juugo and gestured at the door.

Juugo looked at Sasuke, and Sasuke stared back at him and raised an eyebrow.

 _Oh, he doesn't think his precious servant will leave him, does he?_ Sakura thought to herself.

"Okay," Juugo eventually said, standing up.

Sakura sighed, and walked straight past Sasuke to the door and didn't look back. "We'll go and get lunch, Juugo," she said.

"Okay," he said again, as no less than four birds settled down on his head and shoulders.

* * *

"I should bring him some food," Juugo murmured as they finished their lunch.

"He doesn't deserve it," Sakura retorted, finishing off her rice. "What a brat. I'm spending the rest of the day at the tower. There's no reason _I_ have to stay away, and there's too much work to get done!"

"Something's wrong," Juugo said. He definitely seemed concerned, as he sat tearing off bits of his sandwich to give to the birds.

"Obviously, something's wrong with him," she said, pouting. "But does he have to take it out on everyone else? I've told him and told him that he can talk to me about stuff, and he doesn't, so what else am I meant to do?"

She pushed her plates around on the table, and stabbed her leftover chicken with a knife. It was just so frustrating! He never spoke to her about anything unless she forced it out of him- why didn't he trust her?!

"You're a good friend," Juugo said, quietly. "He appreciates you."

Sakura dropped the knife and looked over at him. "He does?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied, simply.

She sighed. "Well, what do _you_ think's wrong with him this time?"

"Naruto," Juugo said.

Oh, Naruto. God, Sasuke was so deep in denial about his feelings for their blonde friend, he should win some kind of award for it. If he could just relax and get over it, she was sure that so many more of his problems here in Konoha would just straighten themselves out.

She frowned at the table. "You know, before Sasuke left Konoha- for the first time, I mean- so many people were in love with him."

"Including you."

She glanced at him, but didn't bother to deny it. "Well. I thought I was. I mean, yes, there was a 'Sasuke Uchiha' that I was in love with. I don't know what happened to him. He probably never existed. Anyway…he came back home as a criminal, you know, or at the very least, people knew he was dangerous…"

"He was exonerated," Juugo said to that, and Sakura wondered if that was important to him. Was it important to Sasuke? She couldn't tell.

"I think there were still plenty of girls- probably some boys as well- who were into that. I bet they wouldn't be, if they got to know him even a little bit." She stabbed her knife back into the chicken and smooshed it around. "Damn that boy!"

"But you'll stick by him."

Was that a statement, or a question?

She sighed again. "Of course I will. I still love him. Just- in a different way. Okay, fine, we'll get him some lunch. But no dessert! And _you_ can take it to him, I'm going to the tower."

Juugo nodded, and seemed satisfied by this. God, Sasuke had no idea how lucky he was to have this orange-haired teddy-bear in his life. He couldn't be any more loyal. _Please don't screw this one up, Sasuke. You need all the friends you can get._

* * *

Sakura made her way to the tower and found everyone carefully calm and composed, staged like set-pieces for the Raikage's benefit. She wasn't sure if it was worth the effort; after all, his ambassadors had been here for a few months already, and could surely vouch for how much of a mad-house it usually was. The ambassadors from all the villages worked in a tower right next door, after all.

She stopped by to say hello to Ino in the communications room, and then went to see how things were going with the delegation's visit. One look at Kakashi's face as he slunk from the meeting room to his office told her exactly what she needed to know.

"Ah, Sakura," said Shikamaru from behind her, having snuck up while she was spying on the Hokage. "The boys aren't with you, are they?"

"No," she said quickly, with a reassuring smile. "I just came to check on a few things. How's it all going?"

He shrugged, and shuffled past her to his desk in the mission room. "As you'd expect. It's an interesting mix of personalities with those two. I think the Raikage just gets even more worked up, thinking our Hokage is being deliberately laid-back."

Well, Sakura had certainly been around him long enough to know that his carefully relaxed composure didn't always reflect his state-of-mind, though it had also been a few years before she'd decided that he was, in fact, capable of being serious about things. When he wanted to be.

"Well, they're leaving tomorrow," Sakura said. "Ah- they _are_ , aren't they?"

"So they say. Hey, take some coffee across the hall, would you? He could use some cheering up," Shikamaru said, giving her a quick grin.

 _Ugh, what's with the grin?_ Sakura thought to herself with a frown. _Oh well_. "Sure. I have some questions anyway."

There was already some coffee made, so she quickly poured some into the mug she knew he liked best (surprise- it had dogs on it), and crossed the hall.

She found him staring blankly at the huge piles of paperwork on his desk, with Pakkun beside him staring just as blankly at the roof. _Poor babies._

"Rough day?" she called out.

It took a few moments, but gradually he looked at her and blinked, and then smiled. "Oh, Sakura. Look, Pakkun, it's Sakura."

"Mm," mumbled Pakkun.

"And coffee," she said, holding the mug out in front of her.

"It gets better," he said, his voice full of relief. He reached out and grabbed it, and beamed at her.

 _It's just coffee_ , she thought.

"Ahem," said Pakkun, nudging her leg.

"Oh, sorry," she said. "I don't have anything for you. Um…do you drink coffee?"

"I do not," the pug said back with a long-suffering sigh, before getting to his feet and shuffling out of the room.

"Have a seat, Sakura," Kakashi said, pushing some papers off a spare chair and pulling it up next to his. "You didn't bring the boys with you, did you?"

She growled. "No. Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

"The topic of Sasuke Uchiha and his guests has come up repeatedly in conversation with the Raikage," Kakashi said, leaning heavily on his arm on the desk, and gulping down the coffee. "Ah, so good. Bless you, Sakura."

She stared at him, concerned. He looked even more tired than usual. "It's almost over," she said, trying to sound reassuring.

"What, life?" he muttered. "Or my tenure as Hokage? Either sounds good right now."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. So dramatic. "You'll just have to hold on," she told him. "Naruto's not ready yet."

"Well, maybe not," Kakashi said to that, thumbing his chin thoughtfully. "But it won't be too much longer. And he's certainly going to be an- _interesting_ leader, that's for sure."

 _Wow, he has so much faith_ , Sakura thought as she wondered, not for the first time, how much of his agreeing to be the Hokage had to do with Naruto, and how much with him actually _wanting_ the job. She glanced back down at the desk, and it seemed to her his consistently-messy desk was even worse than usual.

"Oh, don't judge me, Sakura!" Kakashi said, following her gaze. "I'd normally have Sasuke around to do some of this, and here I am, forced to go through this week without my capable assistant."

"I'll take some of it to him," Sakura declared. "No, I'll take _all_ of it, and he can just sit in a room by himself until he finishes it. Maybe that'll cheer him up."

"He certainly doesn't seem to be enjoying life at the moment, does he?" Kakashi said. "And I won't say no. Here, take this, and this, and definitely this-" he said, sifting through the papers and handing her about a third of his desk's content.

Sakura carefully shuffled it all into a manageable, tidy pile and placed it next to her chair, and pondered what Kakashi had said. Capable assistant, he'd called Sasuke; and here he was off-loading piles of work to him. And then she remembered how, even when Sasuke was still in hospital almost a year ago, he'd been bringing tower work to Sasuke.

She narrowed her eyes. "Just what is your plan for Sasuke, anyway?" she asked him. "It can't be easy, keeping him here with the Elders and the other villages against you. Well, with pretty much everyone against you."

"Not everyone," Kakashi said back, and he sounded so much more cheerful now than he had before. "And they'll get over it."

She frowned. "You _do_ have a plan, don't you?"

"I wouldn't go around calling my silly ideas _plans_ ," he said. "For now, it's enough that we've got something for him to do that he's good at _and_ is useful to Konoha."

Sakura had come here to ask him about the Raikage, but all that seemed to be gone from her head as she mulled over this. Maybe people _would_ get over their issues with Sasuke, but would he be willing to stay in Konoha long enough for that to happen? Honestly, she deeply suspected that if he remained as unhappy as he was, it wouldn't be long before he was out of here- with or without Kakashi's permission.

* * *

The next day the Raikage and his delegation did, in fact, leave Konoha as planned. The whole of the Hokage's staff took a collective sigh of relief as the group disappeared through the gates and into the forest. Of course, since the Cloud ambassadors were standing right there, they all did their best to make their relief subtle.

"Thank god that's over," Naruto muttered to Sakura as they walked away from the gate. Her friend seemed about a hundred times more relaxed now that the delegation had left, but he still looked just as exhausted and stressed out as Kakashi had.

"Are you okay, Naruto-kun? It's been a hard few days, huh?" she asked him, keeping her voice low in the crowd around them.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," he said, giving her a shaky grin. "Thanks, Sakura-chan."

"I guess you'll have to deal with these delegations all the time as Hokage, hey?" she commented.

"Yeah. It'll be fine though, I'm sure!"

"I'm sure it will be," she said, trying to keep the doubt out of her voice. "By the way. What did you do to Sasuke?"

Naruto tripped and stumbled, and gaped at her. "Sakura! Where did that come from?!"

"Oh, so you _did_ do something," she said, watching as an immensely guilty expression took over his face. Honestly, she hadn't been completely sure who to blame for Sasuke's foul mood, but maybe it really _was_ Naruto's fault.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto whispered intensely, coming closer to her. "Can we please not talk about this here?!"

"Just tell me. Come on, you know you'll tell me eventually, and you'll feel better for it!" And it was true; sooner or later Naruto did confess all his sins to her, even when she would really have preferred not to know about it.

"Well," Naruto said, biting his lip. "Well, um, Sasuke may have found out about something I did, ah, while he was away."

Sakura cast her mind back to those six months, quickly running through the list of things he'd done and cross-referencing them with things that would piss Sasuke off. There were a few too many for her to feel confident making a guess.

"Spit it out then, Naruto," she demanded.

"Uh, well, you know how I told you about- that guy, you know, that one night when I was away-"

She sighed. "I thought you weren't going to tell him about that? Unless things ever got serious between you two. And you said he'd probably never meet this mystery man of yours anyway."

"Right, well, unfortunately-" Naruto went on, "-and Sasuke technically didn't meet him, but he _saw_ him-"

"Here in Konoha? What do you mean- oh. No. Naruto, you don't mean-!" Sakura covered her mouth to smother her shriek. No, not one of _them_ , not with all the issues the Cloud shinobi had with Sasuke! "Oh, Naruto, of all the boys you could have hooked up with!"

Naruto turned away from her and looked at his feet. "Yeah, well, it happened, okay? He's nice, and fun. But anyway, I'm not interested in anyone else. …but things _did_ happen while Sasuke was gone, and he found out about it, and I think he was angry, but he was pretending not to be-"

"Oh, he's angry, alright," Sakura interrupted. "You're in big trouble, mister!"

He gulped. "He _is_ angry, then? Properly angry?"

"Properly _furious_ , and taking it out on everyone he can, even poor Juugo!"

"Oh, so, well…at least he cares."

Sakura narrowed her eyes, and reached over to swat him lightly on the head. "You two need to figure this out already."

"But Sakura," he whined. "I've tried! I even told him right out that I liked him, I've been doing my best not to fight with him or piss him off- and okay, that part hadn't gone so well this week, but…" he sighed.

He looked so sad and pathetic that she leaned over and gave him a quick, impromptu hug. "Oh, Naruto…it wasn't so bad, what you did. He'd see that, if he wasn't so…Sasuke."

He looked at her with wide, bright eyes, seemingly surprised by her words. "Sakura-chan…"

"You know, I've been seeing a few different sides of him since he got back, with all his training and problems with his arm, and now working with him and Taka pretty much every day," she said, letting him go and starting to walk again.

"Oh, so you've got some wise words for me? What should I do?"

"Maybe I shouldn't be giving you any advice, it never seems to work out well. And besides, that's not really what I meant. Just, it's a pity you can't spend more time with him and his friends. See what he's been going through, living here."

He stared at her. "What he's been going through? You mean…well, it's not easy for him, I know that, but…"

"Mm, it's not. It would be tough anywhere, but there are just even more added pressures in Konoha." It must be hard for him, to be surrounded by people who knew him as a child- both before and after the, well, incident. To have been so revered as a prodigy, and then to have become one of the most hated missing-nin…yes, very hard.

"So, you're saying I should just let him leave then," Naruto said, dragging his feet as they walked along, eyes on the ground in front of him. "That I should stop trying to make Konoha his home again."

She sighed. "I don't know, Naruto. I just think we need to act with a little more empathy. You can do it, if you try, I'm sure of it!"

Naruto echoed her sigh, and they walked along together in silence the rest of the way home.

* * *

 _Coming up next: Naruto, Ino, and Chouji set out on their mission, and Things Go Wrong. Very, very wrong._

A/N: Wahhhh I was so surprised by the reaction to the last chapter! It was less HOW DARE HE DO THAT TO SASUKINS and more HOW DARE SAS BE MAD ABOUT THAT. Ahaha, I'm so relieved people aren't too mad at my precious Naruto-kun. Anyway, Sas needed something to kick him into gear…though I fear that wasn't enough. So, what else is this evil author going to do to him, to make him see the light?


	29. Gone All Wrong

**Gone All Wrong (Naruto's POV)**

 _In which Naruto, Ino, and Chouji set out on their mission, and Things Go Wrong. Very, very wrong._

* * *

Naruto felt the relief in every part of his body when he let his dozens and dozens of clones fade away. It was official; it was time to drop the clone barrier around Konoha and head out on a proper mission.

He'd had the clones out on a constant patrol for more than two weeks now, and each day they'd gone a bit further from Konoha until they were now about 20 kilometres away, still forming a protective circle around the town. Naruto himself had been out there pretty much all day and night, coming home only once to pick up new supplies. It had just been easier, that way.

But now, they had enough teams ready to go, and the plan was to deploy them all at once. They were sure that the 20-kilometre clone-protected zone was safe and clear, and it was time to push out past it, and shut down all of Orochimaru's old hide-outs and bases in the Land of Fire. Naruto himself was being sent out with Ino and Chouji, and he couldn't have been happier for the change of pace and the chance to actually _do_ something!

…if only Ino and Chouji felt the same way. Naruto may have been happy to be back on the road on a proper mission, but these two were spending the whole first day of it complaining. Yes, to be fair, winter had well and truly arrived in Konoha now, and it was cold and rainy; miserable. But they had a job to do!

"Come on guys," Naruto whined. "Cut it out, it's not like we can do anything about the rain…"

Ino growled at him from under her rain-sodden cloak and hood. "I'm _soaked_. I swear to god, if I get a cold from this-"

"I'm _hungry_ ," Chouji grumbled. "Can't we stop for the day? Enough already…"

Naruto bit back a sigh. He knew that everyone was tired, and everyone was overworked. "We just need to get to our first check-point, and then we'll eat, okay? Not much longer…"

They may have been wet, and cold, and hungry, but if only these two were in a better mood, it might have been alright. Releasing the hundreds of clones had felt _amazing_ ; Naruto had instantly felt a million times better than he had in weeks.

"I'm meant to be having time off now…" Chouji went on, muttering into the ground.

Ino pulled her clock closer around her and glared at the world. "Yeah, we know, okay, you had that hot date-"

 _Eh? What?_ "Hey wait," Naruto interrupted. "Did you really, Chouji? With the Cloud girl?"

Chouji narrowed his eyes and looked away. "She's just teasing me," he grumbled. "And while I'm hungry, too…"

"You're always hungry!" Ino retorted. "And if you'd been following my advice with that girl, you'd have her already!"

 _Hmm_. "What kind of advice?" Naruto asked her, stepping closer.

She glanced at him. "I don't think my advice will help with _your_ love-life, sweetie," she said.

 _…oh. It's that bad huh_ , he thought to himself. Maybe it was. _…let's not think about it._

They finally arrived at their checkpoint for the night, and attempted to put up a quick rain shelter and get together a makeshift dinner. It's amazing just how much more difficult things were with rain. They were still inside the 20-kilometre 'safe zone', so they could have lit a fire, if only it were possible.

Naruto wolfed down a few of Ino's homemade soldier pills. They were much better than anything he'd had the past fortnight. Usually when he went away, Sakura would offer to make him some, but she'd been too busy. And, well, she was always with…them, so he hadn't wanted to approach her to ask.

That was two-thirds of Team 7 grouped up with those Taka guys now. Even Kakashi-sensei was spending so much time with them. …it wasn't fair.

"Don't give me that look," Ino growled at Chouji from beside him. _Ugh, here they go again,_ Naruto thought to himself. "I made all your favourite flavours, you know, and if you whine about dessert-"

"These are amazing, Ino," Naruto quickly said, stopping her in her tracks. He gave her a warm smile. "I wish I was as good a cook as you."

Ino glanced at him, and her glare faded. "Oh well, it's not so hard!" she said, eyes brightening.

Naruto sighed. Disaster averted. "How about you and I take the first patrol shift, and Chouji can get some rest?" he suggested, finishing the last of his 'dinner'.

They agreed, and once they were done, they left Chouji at the camp and set off to patrol in the rain.

Tomorrow they'd push further away from Konoha. Their team was headed for a small hideout near the mountains. It had been unoccupied for years, but they couldn't count on that now. They were going to clear it out, gather up anything that was left, and destroy it- wipe it off the map.

In Suna, the sand shinobi were following the same plan over the next week. Naruto had been surprised at how many bases Orochimaru had had in other countries, and the links he'd had with different groups, crime gangs, and rouge shinobi. He was sure that Gaara could handle it. Unfortunately they hadn't had as much luck with their other allies, convincing them to take action right away. Naruto was worried; all the villages needed to be acting on this, _now_ , to wipe out the network completely so it didn't come back to haunt them later.

It was all a bit of a diplomatic mess, really; one that would all need to be sorted out later. For now, though, they needed to eliminate the threat against Konoha, and against Sasuke too. Maybe that didn't matter to many people, but it mattered to Naruto- mattered a _lot_. Even if Sasuke wasn't speaking to him at the moment.

Naruto bit his lip. He was trying very, very hard not to think about Sasuke. The truth was, he'd always assumed he could help Sasuke, that he would be a good friend, maybe more than a friend, if Sasuke would just _let_ him. But lately, he was starting to think that might not be true.

"Hey, Ino," he murmured, as they jumped from branch to branch together. "What did you mean before, about you not being able to give me advice? Is it really that hopeless?"

She glanced at him as they kept moving. "Hopeless? You and Sasuke?"

"…yeah," he said, feeling strange saying it out-loud. He was pretty sure that people knew something was going on between the two of them; well, some people would definitely know. But it's not like they spoke about it or anything.

"I only meant, I don't really know enough about your- situation," Ino went on. "I wouldn't know what to tell you, based on what I know now."

"Oh," Naruto said. "Um…what do you know?"

"I'd know more, if Sakura wasn't so insistent on keeping everything to herself! She's a gossip hoarder, that one," Ino grumbled. "But anyone with eyes can see how you look at Sasuke. You don't even try to hide your feelings, do you?"

"I guess not," he said with a shrug. "I wouldn't know how." And _that_ was an understatement!

"And we could all see what a low mood you were in after he left town, with you still in the hospital. As for Sasuke- he at least can hide his feelings, unless you know what to look for, like I do," Ino said.

"And?" Naruto asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. If I didn't know any better, I would have said 100%, the two of you were dating and getting frisky every night. Sakura swears it's not like that though-"

"It's not!" Naruto cried, interrupting. "We're not- dating! And we're not- I mean every night?! Is that what it looks like?"

"Maybe to some of us. So, not _every_ night?" she asked, leering at him.

He blushed. "Not every night," he answered. "And now…"

"Oh, hold that thought," Ino said. "Someone's trying to talk to me."

They paused on a tree branch, and Ino leaned against the tree and did the weird blank thing with her eyes that she did when her focus was- elsewhere. Naruto watched her, curious, and just a little concerned. They weren't meant to check in until morning- had something gone wrong with one of the teams?

Ino blinked, and frowned. "Well, that's not good," she said, staring properly at Naruto now. "They say they can't contact one of the groups. And they couldn't find them when they sent a messenger to their designated spot."

"What happened?" Naruto asked.

She shrugged. "They don't know. They sent one of the back-up teams to trace them. But it's a problem, because they were within the safe zone. North-east."

"What?" Naruto said, that little knot of worry in his stomach starting to churn again. "Not that far from us? What happened?"

"They didn't say," Ino said back. "Let's get back to Chouji, and decide what to do."

He nodded. They shouldn't panic; they needed to gather the facts, and think it all through properly, before they came to any conclusions or decided what to do.

They turned back in the direct of their camp, and then all of a sudden alarm bells started going off in Naruto's head as a metallic sheen flew passed his head towards Ino.

"Ino!" Naruto shrieked, reaching over and pulling her down, just in time for the kunai to land in the tree behind her.

They both stared at it, confused; they were the only ones in this forest, weren't they? Obviously not. A moment went by, then they exchanged glances and kicked into gear.

Ino looked over at the kunai and then grabbed onto Naruto. "Get _down_!" she yelled at him, dragging him with her as she leapt out of tree, and they landed on the ground just seconds before the kunai exploded with a loud _boom_.

"What the hell-" Naruto began, but suddenly they were under attack, a group of armed shinobi jumping out from the surrounding trees and rushing right towards them. Naruto's pulse-rate tripled instantly and his whole body tensed. "Where did they come from?!" he cried, by instinct calling up a dozen clones around them, ready to attack.

There was no way these guys could have gotten this close to them! Dressed in black, their opponents charged towards them through the rain, and Ino jumped closer to Naruto, the two of them standing back-to-back as a group of more than- _six, there's at least six of them_ \- made to attack them.

"Take them down!" Ino yelled out, "we need to get to Chouji!"

 _Chouji,_ Naruto thought to himself, _shit! He's all by himself!_

Naruto charged at the nearest enemy with a knife in each hand, and called up another dozen clones to speed towards Chouji, as the clones already with them leapt into action. "Don't kill them!" Naruto called out, "we need to know who they are!"

While the clones took on half the opponents, Ino attacked another with a set of knives, and Naruto rushed after two others.

Meanwhile in his mind he followed the other clones as they ran through the forest towards Chouji, looking around them as they went; Naruto hissed under his breath as he spotted more and more enemies through their eyes. This isn't possible! Where did they all come from?! He called a few away from the group and had them track the dark figures through the trees.

"Ino!" he yelled out. "There's a whole bunch of them headed towards Konoha!"

"How many?" she called back, and she sliced into her opponent and then jumped back to dodge his attack.

"I can't tell-"

"What about Chouji?!"

 _Right, Chouji!_

He rushed the clones onwards, and suddenly Chouji came into view, twice his usual size, taking on three enemies with vicious-looking knives; another three lay on the ground beside him. He was bleeding heavily from his arms and chest. _We need to get to him, now!_

Naruto quickly dispatched his two opponents, and the clones took down the rest; he turned to Ino in time to see her put down the last of them. "We have to get to Chouji," he told her. "He's injured, and outnumbered!"

"Lead the way," Ino said, her face drained of colour.

Naruto nodded, and they raced back towards their camp.

All of a sudden the clones heading back in the direction of Konoha popped out of existence, and Naruto cursed under his breath, and tried to summon some more replacements. And then he felt a sharp pain in his head and grit his teeth, pushing through the seal for more clones- nothing. _What?!_ He tried again, and still nothing but another sharp pain. _What the hell's going on? Why can't I summon more clones?!_

"I can't tell how many are heading to Konoha," he called to Ino as they ran. _What if there's more of them? What if- what if they're planning to attack the town?!_

"We need to help Chouji first," Ino said, looking straight ahead, her expression more deadly and more serious than Naruto had ever seen before.

"The clones are there now," he said, looking through their eyes as they charged after the two remaining enemies attacking Chouji. They tore into them, and thank god, they moved away from Chouji, and soon fell.

But too late- Chouji too fell to the ground, in a puddle of dark blood.

"Shit!" Naruto hissed, and doubled his speed while gripping Ino's wrist and pulling her forward.

And soon they burst into the clearing where Chouji lay, with only three clones remaining battling a pair of enemy shinobi.

"Chouji!" Ino cried, rushing over to his side.

Naruto called the clones to his side and rushed at the remaining enemies with a rasengan. _Enough of this! They are going down now!_

Finally they crumbled to the ground, and Naruto rushed to where Ino was leaning over Chouji.

"Naruto!" Ino gasped out. "He's really hurt!"

"Ino," he said, reaching out to rest a hand on her arm. "I need you to get into contact with Konoha now. They have to know what's coming for them."

"But I need to heal Chouji-"

"Please, Ino, just quickly!"

She hesitated and bit her lip, but then nodded and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Keep an eye out!" Naruto ordered his clones, and they scattered around the clearing and up into the trees.

"It's done," Ino said, snapping her eyes open and leaning back over her friend.

"Chouji…" Naruto called, looking down at him. "Please don't be too hurt!"

Ino quickly formed some seals and then lay a glowing green hand on the left side of Chouji's chest, where most of the blood seemed to be coming from.

"Who are they, Naruto?!" she yelled as she did so. "How did they get past us? This is meant to be the safe zone!"

It _was_ the safe zone, he and his clones had been out here all week trawling through these forests, there's no way that many enemy shinobi could have evaded his notice. It just wasn't _possible_!

"I don't know," he growled, staring down at his heavily-bleeding friend. "It doesn't make sense!"

"He's really hurt," Ino whimpered, bringing her left hand to his chest as well. "I can't do this by myself!"

Naruto had never felt so useless in his life. "What if we take him back to Konoha? Run there?" And outrun all those guys heading straight for town, too, and god knows how many of them there were-

And then all of a sudden his clones all went berserk, and looking through their eyes Naruto saw a hoard of black-clad shinobi headed straight for them. His blood ran cold. _Shit, shit, shit!_

There was nothing else to do; he had to go into Sage Mode and take all these guys down now, he couldn't risk trying to keep them alive for questioning later. He stood up and stepped away from Ino and Chouji, and started gathering his chakra.

And then- nothing; nothing but that same sharp pain.

 _What?! What is happening?!_

He tried again, and a wave of nausea hit him, and a burning sensation from his head to his toes. _No, no- what's going on?_

Fighting the pain, he desperately tried to reach out into Sage Mode once more, but again, he just- failed, he couldn't get there, just like that. _No, this can't be happening!_

And then the group of shinobi swarmed into the clearing, surrounding them on all sides, weapons raised and deadly intent reeling off them in waves. Ino crouched over Chouji, hands still trying to halt his bleeding, and Naruto could do nothing but stand there, dumbfounded, and wondering how the hell they were going to get through this.

* * *

 _Coming up next: Sasuke learns that someone other than him is daring to hurt HIS dead-last._

A/N: BWAHAHA YOU'VE BEEN NERFED NARUTO, NO MORE GOD!MODE FOR YOU! But ohhh, what's he going to now?


	30. Crossing a Line

**Crossing a Line (Sasuke's POV)**

 _In which Sasuke learns that someone other than him is daring to hurt HIS dead-last._

A/N: And now finally the little plot-points I've been hinting at for so many chapters are starting to come together! Ever since the Pein arc, and maybe before then, Konoha has just EXPECTED that Naruto will protect them from anything. So what happens when he _can't_?

We've got 15 chapters left to go! I'm finally going back to a **weekly update schedule** and we're racing towards the finish. Thank you to everyone for your awesome comments last week!

* * *

Sasuke paced back and forth in front of the large window in Kakashi's office. It was pouring down with rain and a dark mass of dark clouds was casting shadows all across the town, though it was barely noon. The town was quieter than it had been in weeks; a tense, anxious quiet. This morning, more than a dozen shinobi teams had been dispatched on their mission to wash out their new enemies. Surveillance units had been sent out as well, and communication units were standing by.

Walking to the tower this morning, it had been obvious that something was happening, and that the townspeople _knew_ something was happening. Of course, they were citizens of a hidden village; they wouldn't pry, and they wouldn't interfere- not too much. But for something of this scale to be happening so soon after the war…there was a palpable sense of tension radiating across all of Konoha.

"Cut it out, Sasuke," Kakashi ordered, gesturing for him to sit back down. "Either stop that, or go back to your own office."

"I'm just _walking_ ," Sasuke said back curtly, giving him a look, then turning back to the window. "And _you_ should be concentrating."

The tower was quiet, but there was a steady stream of messages coming in from the teams on little slips of paper, and Kakashi and Shikamaru were following the mission's progress on a map covered in little pins.

Shikamaru frowned at him. "There's nothing else you can do," he said. "We've done all the planning we can."

"I know that," Sasuke said with a frown of his own. The map on the wall had dozens of little red pins in it, marking the locations of ex-bases and meeting spots, with tags denoting their category hanging off them. Sasuke had been to most of them himself. Between him and his team, and the Anbu operatives, they thought they had a pretty good idea of what was out there, and what they'd be destroying in the next few days.

"What are you so worried about?" Suigetsu asked him, from where he was lounging on a couch across the room. He didn't seem to be concerned about anything at all, sipping on coffee and eating sweets, and playing staring games with the nin-ken.

"I'm not worried," Sasuke replied. He was just…well, he didn't know. He was _tense_. He stopped his pacing, and stood there staring out the window, over the wall and out to the forest. Something was…off.

For the past two weeks, Sasuke had put up with the feeling of that moronic dead-last and his army of idiot clones all over the woods, completely surrounding Konoha with what seemed to Sasuke like an almost solid band of chakra. It was like a second wall around the town; around _him_. And in that band, the one brighter spark of chakra, never staying still, buzzing around the woods like an insect as Naruto moved around through the trees.

It was annoying. It was _irritating_. Just when Sasuke had gotten used to that little, constant presence in the back of his mind, that sense of Naruto wherever he was, he suddenly called up hundreds more versions of himself and surrounded the town. The only upside was that Sasuke didn't have to see him around Konoha in person. He seemed to be avoiding the place like the plague.

At least that part of Naruto's mission was over; there was just one of him now, moving further and further away from town, as he and his team headed towards their destination.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Juugo murmured to him, from where he was standing next to Sasuke by the window.

Sasuke growled under his breath. "As if I care," he scowled. "Come on, let's go back to our office." He turned and stormed out of the room, followed closely by Juugo, and eventually Suigetsu.

* * *

Their own mission would be over soon as well. Before the teams destroyed all those bases, they'd be gathering up anything at all that was left, and Sasuke's team (and their Anbu supervisors, of course) would sort through it all, and file everything away securely. They'd been doing that in the archives for months, and they now had rows and rows of tidy, neatly ordered records and specimens in the secure holding rooms under the tower.

Sakura peered in through the door and gave them all a tight smile. "How's it going?" she asked. "Kakashi said you were worried, Sasuke."

"I'm not," Sasuke declared. "I just want this to all be over."

"Not too long now, hopefully," Sakura said back. "Take it easy. There's nothing-"

"-we can do, right, right!" said Suigetsu from the corner of the room. "Yeah, we get it. He's just worried about his _boyfriend_."

Sasuke resisted the urge to throw a chidori right through Suigetsu's chest. He was _not_ worried about Naruto. He wasn't even _thinking_ about Naruto. The moron didn't deserve a single second of Sasuke's time.

Sakura glanced at him, an odd expression on her face, and it occurred to Sasuke that she probably knew what Naruto had done. The idiot was always telling her things she didn't need to know about. Everyone should just stay out of it! And none of that mattered. Sasuke would be out of here before too long. He'd be _free_.

"The first teams should be reaching their checkpoints soon enough," Sakura said, changing the subject and glancing at the clock on the wall. "We should be getting some more in-depth reports."

Something was pulling at Sasuke's mind; an uncomfortable tingling. "Sakura," he asked. "Can you…sense anything, out in the forest?"

She turned to face him. "Sense anything? Well, of course, with the teams out there- there's more chakra activity than there usually is."

Sasuke shook his head. That wasn't exactly what he meant. Or maybe it was? "How many Konoha shinobi are out there, exactly?" he asked.

Sakura frowned. "Including all units? About…150, I believe."

No, that number wouldn't account for this sensation. Something else was going on.

"Sasuke?" Sakura asked, giving him a worried look.

"It's fine," he said. "It's probably nothing."

"Let's have lunch," she suggested. "It's already late and I'm _starving_."

Sasuke nodded. They might as well; it would be a good excuse to get out of here for a while, at last. "Yeah, let's go," he said. He grabbed his rain-proof cloak from the wall and they all slipped out of the tower.

* * *

Several hours later, Sasuke was pacing back and forth in front of the window once again. He paused, and gazed out at where he could sense Naruto's familiar chakra signature, radiating from the north.

"Here we go again," Suigetsu mumbled. "Can I go home already? There's nothing happening here except this guy burning a trench in the floor."

"Things seem to be going okay," Shikamaru said, staring at the map, where the team positions had been updated. "If only team E would check in already."

"The backup unit should be there soon," Kakashi commented, standing next to him. "Everything's probably fine."

 _Everything's probably fine_. With one team missing without an explanation, and that strange, oppressive chakra flitting all over the woods. And in the meantime it was still pouring down with rain. Sasuke sighed, and continued his pacing.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi exclaimed. "What is _wrong_?"

"Nothing," he muttered. He narrowed his eyes, focusing his attention on Naruto's chakra. It's not like the moron couldn't take care of himself. But- but what was _that_? A slight spark, a sudden charge. He was probably just using some overpowered jutsu to light a fire or something, the idiot. That's probably all it was.

"What is it, Sasuke?" Juugo murmured to him, stepping closer. "What can you feel?"

Sasuke hesitated. He felt another small surge of charka, of a type he knew very well. "It's probably nothing," he replied. "Naruto just called up a group of shadow clones. He's probably just using them to patrol, but-"

"Hokage-sama," came a voice, and they all turned to see an Anbu agent coming into the room. "The reconnaissance group has reported in from the missing team's location. There's no trace of them."

Sasuke bit his lip; Naruto's chakra surged again, this time fluctuating up and down. He was doing- something. Wait, he was…. _fighting_. He had to be. Another dozen clone-chakra sparks appeared, and Sasuke's internal sense of alarm cracked up another notch.

"Something _is_ wrong," he said to Juugo. "Something's happening, out there."

"Naruto can take care of himself," Sakura called out to him, from in front of the map. "What about this missing team? Where have they gone?"

Sasuke shifted and turned away from them. He didn't give a damn about the missing team. He frowned when that feeling, that sense of fluctuating chakra, started to burn in the back of his mind.

"Juugo," he murmured. "He's- using a _lot_ of jutsus. He's attacking someone."

"I can send out some birds," Juugo suggested.

Sasuke knew that Naruto could handle anything. Whatever else he was- self-centred, narcissistic, oblivious, ramen-obsessed- he wasn't _weak_. There probably wasn't an enemy anywhere in the world that could take him down without a proper fight- apart from Sasuke himself, of course.

But- but something was _wrong_ ; something different. Naruto kept attacking, attacking, but he didn't call up any more clones, or use any of his more advanced jutsus. In the meantime, that other sense of oppression, of something out of place all across the forest, was getting stronger.

"Even _I_ can feel that now," Sakura said, coming up behind him. "Maybe…maybe some of the _ryuu_ agents are out there? The mission was meant to wash them all out, after all."

And then suddenly there was a stab of pain in the back of Sasuke's mind and his internal measure of alarm shot right up to its highest level. Something was wrong, _very_ wrong, and he needed to do something-

"What is it?" Juugo asked him, as Sasuke moved into a defensive position automatically.

"Sasuke?" called Sakura.

"We need to send out the backup units," he said. "Right now. There's something happening out there."

"We can do that if we need to," Kakashi called from the map. "But there's nothing _you_ can do, personally. It'll be fine, Sasuke."

It wasn't _fine_ , they needed _help_ \- _he_ needed to help.

"Juugo," Sasuke hissed under his breath. "We need to…"

Suigetsu came over to join them. " _We_ can't do anything," he said. "What's up?"

They couldn't leave; if they tried to cross the wall, a dozen Anbu agents would be on them in seconds. So even _if_ Naruto needed some help, Sasuke couldn't give it to him. And why _should_ he, anyway?

"Hokage-sama!" cried a jounin, bursting into the room. "We just got a message from Yamanaka-san, she-"

…that was it. Sasuke didn't stay to hear the rest of it. He pushed open the window and sprung out of it at once, his cloak whipping out behind him at the sudden gust of wind and rain.

"Sasuke!" Sakura called out after him. "No, you can't-"

-and then he was too far gone to hear any more. He raced across the rooftops and in no time was crossing the wall. He looked to his left and saw Juugo and Suigetsu racing behind him through the rain and he nodded, and they sped up, reaching the forest in an instant.

And by then, it was obvious to anyone that something _was_ wrong. Violent charka signs were jumping up out of nowhere, all around them and all through the forest. Sasuke activated his sharingan and confirmed the presence of enemy combatants, racing towards Konoha. He didn't stop. At least they would keep the Anbu and border guards occupied.

In another few moments they could actually _see_ the black-clad shinobi running through the forest in the direction of town; Sasuke continued to ignore them, pushing forwards to Naruto's location, with that burning, stabbing pain in his mind urging him forward faster and faster.

And finally they reached a clearing in the woods, with a dozen of Naruto's shadow clones buzzing around with enemy shinobi in pursuit, and there was Chouji bleeding out on the muddy ground with Ino next to him, and Naruto standing over them both, a kunai in both hands, and deep red scores of blood coming from his face, arms, and chest and mingling with the rain.

"Take them all down," Sasuke yelled to Suigetsu and Juugo, and they spread out, speeding after the mass of enemies in the clearing.

"Sasuke!" Naruto called out, staring over at him in shock, his voice scratched and weak as he yelled to be heard over the violent rain. "What are you-"

"Stay focused, moron!" Sasuke yelled back, as he landed in front of him and slammed his fist through the chest of the man currently attacking the blonde. "And why aren't you using your Sage chakra?!" He pulled his arm back out, and threw the man across the clearing, tossing a blade into his forehead for good measure.

"Great, thanks, I didn't think of that, bastard!" Naruto scowled at him, calling two clones to his side to prepare for another attack. "Just help me get rid of these guys!"

"Oi Sasuke!" Suigetsu called out from the trees, a limp, bloody body dangling from his arm. "She said there was a whole horde of them headed for Konoha!" He dropped the body to the ground into a puddle, and jumped to the next tree to take on the next guy.

Sasuke hissed; he didn't care about Konoha! If only he was back at full strength- but there was no chance he could pull a susano or use his mangekyo yet.

Another shinobi landed in front of them and Sasuke sent a chidori straight at him, and then went after him with a kunai. He cursed the rivulets of water streaming down his face and weighing down his clothes; but at least with his sharingan his vision was unimpaired. "Naruto, can you-"

"I can't do _anything_!" Naruto cried, interrupting him. "I _tried_! And I have to stay here with Chouji-"

"Sasuke, we have to get him back to Konoha!" Ino added, her voice high-pitched and distressed.

"Two more headed in your direction," Juugo called from the edge of the clearing, before disappearing back into the trees.

The pair of shadow clones next to them crumpled, and Sasuke sensed that they were the last two. "Naruto, call up more-"

"I _can't_!" Naruto said, his voice desperate. "And we need to help Konoha-"

"To hell with Konoha!" Sasuke scowled, falling into a crouch and kicking out at the figure who'd taken out the clones. He ripped into his throat and sliced through his chest with a finely-focused chidori, and tossed the body aside. With his sharingan he saw the next one coming for them, and dodged behind to grab at his arms and take him out too.

"Chouji needs help _now_!" yelled Ino, and Sasuke ignored her as he scanned the clearing; there were no other enemies in reach, and all the ones he could see were headed in the other direction, towards town.

"Here," said Juugo, landing next to them and leaning down to pick up Chouji. He took of his cloak and laid it over the injured man as well, trying to keep out some of the rain. "It might be dangerous to move him, but we should try."

"Thank you!" Naruto cried, taking Chouji's other arm as they started moving out of the clearing. Ino followed closely behind, her green-glowing hands staying as close to the wound in Chouji's chest as possible.

Suigetsu appeared beside him. "We should go after the horde," he said, baring his teeth; his eyes were wide and wild, and his hands were covered in blood. He was ready and eager to fight on.

Sasuke growled. He was here to take care of _Naruto_ , and no-one else! And the moron was currently faltering under Chouji's weight, helping him forward instead of letting Sasuke rush him towards the hospital like he obviously needed. And in the meantime it was still pouring down rain, it was freezing cold, and a vicious wind was blowing in.

Well, the hospital would be no good to them if it were overrun with enemies when they got there. Sasuke pulled out a kunai and reluctantly nodded to Suigetsu, and wordlessly they took off, passing Naruto and his friends and heading towards the enemy shinobi.

* * *

Once again Sasuke was pacing back and forth, watching restlessly as Sakura and the other medics treated Chouji. Juugo and Suigetsu were standing by a tree being guarded by a contingent of Anbu. There was a flock of birds and other creatures coming and going from Juugo's side, much to the Anbu's annoyance. Suigetsu saw Sasuke staring and flashed him a toothy grin.

Honestly, why were they wasting manpower keeping them from going anywhere? From what he'd heard, most of the enemy shinobi had been taken out, but there was still a fight going on, and he and Suigetsu had been doing a very good job protecting Konoha before they were apprehended- however reluctantly Sasuke had been doing it.

And there was Naruto, perched by a tree, his eyes lightly closed. He was still bleeding from his arms and chest; why didn't anyone seemed concerned by that?! And his chakra was just _wrong_. What was going on with him?

"Oi, dead-last," Sasuke hissed to him, slipping away from his own guard. "What's the matter with you?"

Naruto opened his eyes and looked up. "Nothing's wrong," he wheezed. "Why?"

Sasuke was alarmed. He left Naruto's side and stalked over to Sakura, who was still deep in concentration treated Chouji, under Ino's watchful eye. "Sakura," he said. "You need to heal Naruto now."

Sakura gave him the briefest of glances before turning back to her patient. "Naruto will be fine," she said, "he can take care of himself."

Obviously, that was usually the case; but it wasn't the case _now_. Sasuke growled, reached down, and physically pulled Sakura into his arms and carried her over to Naruto's side and deposited her there, with the pink-haired medic-nin letting out a high-pitched shriek of protest at this treatment.

"Sasuke!" she cried. "What is _wrong_ with you?!"

"Heal Naruto," he demanded. "He's _bleeding_."

"I'm fine," Naruto insisted, giving them both a wary look.

Sakura opened her mouth to scold Sasuke again, but then seemed to think better of it and turned back to Naruto. "Your charka is weird," she declared. "What happened?"

"It's nothing," Naruto went on, "I've just got a few scratches that aren't healing as fast as they normally would." He slipped off his jacket to reveal more than a few deep gashes on his arms.

Sakura narrowed her eyes and reached out her hands to heal them. "You'll need to get checked out at the hospital as well, then!" she said, "and we'll talk properly about your chakra!"

Naruto shrugged, and watched her finish healing his wounds. "Thanks, Sakura-chan," he said, as she finished and went back to Chouji.

"Why the hell couldn't you use your Sage chakra," Sasuke hissed at him, as the blonde struggled back into his jacket.

Naruto glared back at him. "Can we not talk about this now? It's _fine_ , I swear, there were just too many of them, and I had Chouji and Ino to protect-"

"It's not _fine_ ," Sasuke growled, "and-"

"We're leaving," Naruto interrupted, and Sasuke saw that the group in the clearing was preparing to move. Naruto pushed himself to his feet and stumbled, and Sasuke instinctively stepped forward to catch him.

Sasuke was alarmed; Naruto continued to sway, even as Sasuke helped him stand up straight and start walking. "Naruto, what the _hell_ -"

"Shut it, bastard," Naruto hissed, pulling the hood of his jacket up over his head, and wiping the rain off his face. "I'm _fine_ , okay? Don't- don't say anything!"

Sasuke was supremely unconvinced. Naruto should have been able to decimate those shinobi with no problems at all. And here he was, bleeding, shaking, and pale. "But-"

"Please?" Naruto begged, gripping onto his arm as they trudged through the mud behind the medic team. "And- and thank you, okay? You'll be in trouble now, but you came anyway-"

Sasuke scoffed. "I don't give a damn about being in _trouble_!" What he needed to know was who these people were, where they had come from, and how there could have been be so many of them- so close to Konoha- without anyone noticing. Naruto had been out here for weeks, guarding Konoha completely.

What was going on?!

* * *

A/N: Yes indeed, Sasuke, what IS going on? Well, I know some of my readers have suspected that something's been wrong with Naruto for a while, ehehe. But anyway, we can't have Naruto and Sasuke wondering around with the power of gods ALL the time, can we? …even though Konoha expects it of them.

 _Coming up next: Sakura has a hospital full of injured shinobi, civilians, and friends, and is not happy about it. And what is up with Naruto's injuries?!_


	31. Unprepared

**Naruto Fanfic: Lost on the Road of Life (31 of 44)**

 **Unprepared (Sakura's POV)**

 _In which Sakura has a hospital full of injured shinobi, civilians, and friends, and is not happy about it. And what is up with Naruto's injuries?!_

A/N: WAHHHH thank you all so much for your lovely comments on the last chapter! I really appreciate your support and it was so nice to see everyone's reactions to our little Sasukins jumping out a window for his man, ehehe!

Now that we're getting closer to the end, I might start posting two chapters a week- another one on Thursday, maybe…? I'm just too eager to get to the upcoming chapters!

* * *

Shinobi streamed through the forest all around them, clutching daggers and other weapons and calling out to each other in fierce, determined voices. Sakura stayed close to Chouji's side keeping her eyes on him, but she couldn't help being aware and alarmed at the fierce battle that had flared up so suddenly around them, and out of nowhere.

 _We weren't prepared for this,_ she thought to herself. _Why weren't we prepared for this?_

Next to her Chouji groaned in pain and came fluttering back to consciousness, and Sakura quickly took a step towards him and put him back to sleep. "Everything's going to be okay, Chouji," she said to him as his eyes fluttered closed again. The more they could restrict his movement, the better.

When they got back to Konoha the whole town was in defence mode, with jounin and chuunin in pursuit of the lightening-fast black clad enemies, and genin herding civilians into safe havens. Sakura resisted the urge to join the fighting. She knew she needed to head straight for the hospital to help with the inevitable surge of injuries. That was her first priority.

"Careful, Sakura!" Naruto cried out, appeared at her side and ducking her down as a silver blade flew over their heads.

She scowled and straightened up. "Thanks," she said, scolding herself for not paying attention. She glanced over at her friend, quickly running her eyes over his upper body. He was drenched and covered in blood. Some of that was Chouji's blood, but she'd seen the slashes in his skin- she'd healed them herself. It made her want to scream. After what he and Sasuke had been through, she'd never wanted Naruto to get so much as a papercut ever again. That may have been unrealistic, but she couldn't help it. She was _through_ with seeing her friends injured!

…even if she knew that Naruto could take it, much better than anyone else. He was probably completely healed by now. He still shouldn't _have_ to deal with this. Why couldn't they just have some peace, for a while at least?

They finally arrived at the medical centre with the fighting still going on all around them. Sakura shooed Naruto into the hospital in front of her, whispering instructions to one of her most reliable nurses that Naruto was to stay put, and be kept an eye on, until she herself had time to see to him later that night.

* * *

"He'll be fine," Sakura said to Ino, putting on her best 'doctor' face to really get her point across. "But he will need some time to recover. A few days, possibly."

"We left him alone," Ino murmured, from where she was standing next to Sakura in the doorway. "I was _sure_ he was going to die." She was uncharacteristically sombre and dark, and Sakura had to resist the urge to pull her best friend in for a hug. She was on duty, after all, and she had a lot more patients to see.

Chouji _had_ been badly injured, and it could have been a lost worse if the medics hadn't gotten to him when they did- but he would be okay, thank goodness. In the meantime, it had been a while since the hospital had been this busy, and Sakura was far from happy about that. A few people had even been killed in the attack. It had been sudden, and had left everyone shaken.

"He's not in any danger now," Sakura said to Ino, standing up straight and preparing to leave. "Try not to worry. You should go home, get cleaned up."

Ino shook her head. "I'll stay. In case he wakes up. And I need to do my report anyway," she said back, shifting her gaze to beside the bed, where the Cloud ambassador was sitting.

Sakura shifted awkwardly. The red-headed girl- Karui- had stormed into the hospital the moment they'd brought Chouji back here, and she'd been _panicked_. Sakura hadn't believed what Ino had been saying about her and Chouji, but maybe it was true. Karui had far more emotion on her face now than Sakura had ever seen from her before.

"I'll be back to check on him later," Sakura murmured, and when Ino nodded back at her she turned to leave, closing the door gently behind her.

It had been a long night, and it was far from over. When they'd gotten back to Konoha, every available shinobi had been battling those ninjas dressed in black, and now they were all occupied with gathering up bodies and taking anyone who was still alive in for questioning.

To say that such an attack had been _unexpected_ would be an understatement. But there was no time to think about such things now. There was no time to wonder how there could have been so _many_ of them, and how they could have gotten past so many of Konoha's shinobi to actually reach the wall- and to get across it. No, Sakura was a doctor tonight, and she had patients to see.

 _Naruto next_ , she thought to herself, taking a deep breath and heading down the hall. She dodged other doctors, patients, and visitors as she went, and soon arrived at the room where Naruto had been squirreled away. It had been kept quiet. Most people would expect that Naruto, Konoha's "hero", would still be out there defending the town- running around and being…well, being _Naruto_. And as far as most people knew, that's exactly what he was doing. Sakura hadn't even told the Hokage that Naruto was here.

She slipped into the room and closed the door securely behind her. "Naruto?" she called, looking around.

"Just a second," he called back, and in a moment he emerged from the adjoining bathroom with a towel around his neck, rubbing his hair dry. "Sorry, Sakura. I just wanted to have a shower."

Her patient had peeled off his old clothes and they were lying in the corner, still soaked in rain and blood. She wasn't sure where he'd managed to get the clothes he was wearing now- but then again, Naruto and Sasuke had spent so long in this place, they knew it almost as well as _she_ did, and had ways of….acquiring things.

"You should have waited until I looked at your injuries first!" Sakura scolded him, indicating for him to sit back down on the bed. "What if you re-opened some wounds in the shower?"

"Oh, is that a thing that happens? To normal people?" Naruto asked, staring at her and looking confused. "But anyway, I don't _have_ any injuries! Honestly, I don't know why I'm even here!" Naruto exclaimed, falling onto the bed with a huff and an offended sigh.

 _Yeah, that's a thing that happens, Naruto_ , she thought to herself. For the millionth time in her life she thanked the gods that her friend _wasn't_ normal. "You're not leaving until I discharge you-" she began to say.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Naruto interrupted with a sulky frown. "Just do what you need to do. And then I can go home, right?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes and stepped closer to him. He hadn't put on a shirt, so she could see that the cuts on his arms and chest had healed- but Sakura had done most of that herself, back in the forest. She ran her hands back over Naruto's skin, checking for any remaining damage.

"How did they manage to actually touch you?" she asked, trying to keep her face neutral, and remembering those slashes she'd healed. "Why didn't we know that they had such powerful shinobi in their ranks?" They must have been _very_ powerful, to mark Naruto in such a way; to tire them out like they had.

Naruto shrugged and Sakura scowled at the movement, his shifting shoulders interrupting her examination. "Well, you know, it was raining, and there were so many of them, and Chouji- ah, shit!" he cried, jumping up. "Chouji! Is he okay? I need to go see him-"

Sakura reached out and firmly pushed him back down onto the bed, and Naruto struggled to get past her. "He's _fine_. Ino and that girl are with him, and I'm sure Shikamaru will be by to see him soon as well. You need to get some rest."

Naruto paused and then stopped resisting, sitting back down peacefully. "That _girl_?" he asked, his eyes widening. "The one from Cloud?"

Sakura nodded. "And don't interfere-"

"That's _amazing_!" Naruto declared, a bright grin taking over his face and completely changing his demeanour. "Wow! Good job, Chouji!"

"He can't hear you," Sakura muttered to herself as she continued her examination. "And what's with your chakra? You seem- depleted. For _you_ , anyway. Did you try to heal more damage by yourself? You're in a _hospital_ , Naruto!"

"Ah, it's fine!" Naruto said, shaking her off. Naruto was more patient with her than Sasuke was, but even he wouldn't put up with her 'roaming hands' for very long. "Everything will be back to normal tomorrow! Don't worry about it!"

Sakura frowned. Naruto telling her to not worry about something usually had the opposite effect. "But Naruto," she began again, suddenly remembering Sasuke's panic at Naruto's injuries. "Back in the forest, your chakra just felt- weird. And Sasuke was so worried about you-"

"Ah, yeah!" Naruto interrupted. "Wasn't that _weird_? Weirder than anything else. What's with him? Where is he, by the way?"

Sakura sighed. She didn't have much time, and Naruto was being annoyingly evasive. "They're all in Sasuke's apartment under guard, for the time being. But they're all fine." She intended to march over there as soon as she could and demand an explanation for his behaviour.

"So, I can go home now, right?" Naruto said, still grinning like an idiot- a stark change from his manner when she'd first walked in.

"No," Sakura said back, firmly. "You're spending the night here, so I can check up on you again. Get into bed and go to sleep."

Naruto pouted. "But Sakura-"

"I mean it, Naruto!" she said again, even more firmly. "If you're not here when I come back, I will be very, _very_ angry!"

"Haruno-sensei," came a voice, and they both turned to see a nurse peering into the room. "You wanted to be told if the Hokage stopped by…?"

"Oh, right!" Sakura said, taking a step away from the bed. She threw one last glare in Naruto's direction and started walking away. "Don't give me any trouble, Naruto!"

"I'll be a good boy," Naruto said back with a sigh, leaning back on his pillows. "Honestly…I don't know what the big deal is…"

Well, Sakura didn't know either, but her instincts were telling her to be careful- to be watchful. And so, she _would_ be.

* * *

Sakura made her way to the front of the hospital, where she saw the Hokage being briefed by a senior doctor. His presence was going unmarked by most- everyone was just too busy to notice. Injured shinobi were still being brought in- and disturbingly there were civilians amongst them as well. Sakura tensed. That just wasn't acceptable.

She stood by the wall waiting for the briefing to end. And then Kakashi nodded at her and walked into a room off the hall, and she quickly followed behind him. "They're all gone?" she asked as soon as the door closed behind her, clenching her fists in anxiety.

"Looks like it," Kakashi said back. "They've all been captured, or taken out. If there were any survivors, they've disappeared fairly effectively."

"They _appeared_ fairly miraculously, as well," Sakura commented.

He nodded, running a hand through his hair. "We're on it. We've got a few teams scouring the woods. If only we could find Naruto-"

"And Sasuke?" Sakura interrupted, changing the subject. She wanted Naruto staying here, not out in the rain with a hundred shadow clones draining him even further. "And the others? They're okay, right?"

"They're fine," Kakashi replied, giving her a look. "They're still under Anbu guard in his apartment. Where they'll stay, for the foreseeable future at least."

"Chouji might have _died_ , if Sasuke hadn't reached them when he did!" Sakura declared. "It's not like they were trying to leave- they were helping!"

"It's unlikely that the council will see it that way," Kakashi said back. "Naruto was there, after all. What help could Sasuke and his team possibly think was needed? And- well, it will be difficult to conceal Sasuke's links with these people now that they've done all this."

Sakura ground her teeth. This is not what Sasuke needed. He needed time and peace to re-adjust to life here. And if he had any so-called links with these _ryuu_ , well, it wasn't _his_ fault.

"You should get some rest, Sakura," Kakashi said, gazing at her in concern.

She scoffed, biting back a laugh. That's just what she'd been saying to patients all night- but she definitely couldn't take that same advice. "I'm going to check on the civilians first," she said. "And Chouji, again. And I doubt _you'll_ be taking a break any time soon!"

"Maybe not," Kakashi said to that. "This- this will be difficult to explain to everyone. There'll be some backlash."

"How did this happen," Sakura murmured, half to herself.

Kakashi gazed back at her. "I wanted to ask if you had time to stop by the Anbu headquarters. But I can see how busy you are-"

"What do you need?" she interrupted. This was her job, after all; what did it matter if she was busy? _He_ was busy, as well. Sakura wouldn't lose to _that_.

Kakashi seemed to hesitate before speaking again. "The Anbu medical staff been using your methods with some of the enemies we've apprehended. There's been quite a few using that same…chakra suppression technique we've seen before."

… _oh_ , Sakura thought; _is that how they got through_?!

"You mean they all have those- implants?" Sakura asked, thinking back to the jet-black, spider-like devices she pulled out of that girl all those months ago. Months, was it…? It seemed like only yesterday she'd been taken to that Anbu facility out in the woods. That was when she'd first started working with Sasuke and the boys. A big change, for her.

Kakashi shook his head. "No, only a few have them. But it seems significant that we would find them in an enemy force that got so close to the walls without being detected."

"I'll stop by when I can," Sakura promised. "What else have you found?" There was _definitely_ something else; she could see it written on his face.

"…well," he said. "You remember the prisoner that Yamato brought in. With- the curse seal."

Sakura frowned. She'd seen him only once, and it hadn't been pleasant. The seal hadn't been _exactly_ the same as Sasuke's, but it had still brought up some very unhappy memories. "That seems more your expertise than mine," Sakura commented.

He shrugged. "Perhaps. He's been quite docile since we got him settled, though we haven't gotten much information out of him. But we're concerned about his health- he's been very agitated the past few days. Just now he was…screaming, to put it lightly. Thrashing against the bars."

"That can't be a coincidence," Sakura said. That man had been part of this whole thing. She sighed and added a visit to his cell to her list. "I'll stop by," she said with a small nod.

"Tsunade is down there now. She asked for you."

…in that case, she would _have_ to stop by.

"Okay," she said. "I'll be by as soon as I can."

He nodded, and was soon gone. Sakura paused for just a moment before heading back out into the chaos. She keenly felt that things in her life were changing; she wasn't just a medic-nin, anymore. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about that. Where had all this responsibility come from all of a sudden?

* * *

Sakura woke from a brief nap just after sunrise. She pushed herself off the couch in her office and stretched her arms above her head, and reached for a glass of water and some pills. Back to work. She had been beyond relieved to find that no citizens had been killed. The total number of shinobi deaths had peaked at three. Three was too many, but at least the worst was over for now.

She grabbed a snack from her secret stash hidden in the floorboards (where Naruto and Sasuke- and lately, Suigetsu- couldn't find them) and headed out to the corridor, wolfing her makeshift breakfast down as she went. The hospital has quietened in the hours since she'd seen the Hokage, but was still far busier that she'd like to see.

A new shift of nurses was filtering into the hospital, and Sakura nodded in greeting when she saw them, before spotting a familiar face. "Lee-kun!" she called. "You're not hurt, are you?" How could she have missed that?

"Sakura-san!" Lee said back, bounding up to her with his usual exuberance of energy despite it being the crack of dawn, and after an attack on the village. "No, I'm fine! Tenten hurt her arm. But she's okay!"

"Where is she?" Sakura asked, looking around. Yet another one of her friends in hospital?

"Ah, don't worry!" Lee said to that. "But Sakura-san, is it true about Sasuke-kun?"

Sakura's stomach clenched immediately. "What about Sasuke?" she asked, wondering what had happened while she'd been asleep- it couldn't have been more than thirty minutes that she'd been away!

"Oh!" Lee said. "No, I'm sure it's not true! Just that people were saying, those men were coming here for him. But that's not true. Is it, Sakura-san?"

Sakura hesitated, feeling shocked. Is that what had people been saying? It wasn't _entirely_ untrue, though it was far from the whole story. As far as she could tell, Konoha had been attacked because they wanted what was in the archives- the records, the secret jutsus, the results of Orochimaru's experiments. And yet…they certainly _had_ received threats against Sasuke, and to Suigetsu and Juugo as well. That had been classified information. How had Lee heard about it?

"Who's saying that?" she asked him, trying to keep her expression calm.

"Ahhh," said Lee, looking unsure of himself. "Never mind, forget I said anything. I must see Tenten, we're going back out as soon as her arm's been taken care of!"

"You'll do no such thing," Sakura said back. "You'll go home to bed, and Tenten will do the same!"

"Oh, of course, right away!" Lee declared, saluting her and walking swiftly away.

She sighed. Lee would be back in the middle of everything in no time, and nothing she could say would stop him.

Sakura spied one of her doctor friends and pulled him aside. "Have you heard the latest reports?" she asked him in an anxious whisper, gazing around her.

He nodded. "There's no more fighting, but there are a few more injured trickling through. It seems to be largely over."

"And- and is there any word about…who they were?"

And here he gave her a brief, searching look; of course it was well known that she'd been working at the tower, and was on the council now. Of course he would assume that she had information that she couldn't share.

"There's no official word on that, but the name _Orochimaru_ is being passed around."

Sakura bit back a sigh and nodded. "Okay," she said. "Well, I need to get back to work."

They said good-bye and Sakura made her way to Naruto's room, where she found him pacing back and forth anxiously in front of the door.

"Sakura!" he cried, latching onto her as soon as she came in. "I can go now, right? Right? I'm all better, I swear!"

She stepped back, blinking; she was far too tired for this! "Naruto, calm down! Just let me examine you…"

Naruto did as instructed and peeled off his shirt at once. Sakura rolled her eyes. That wasn't _quite_ necessary. "Did you sleep?" she asked. "And be truthful, now!"

"Mm, I did, Sakura-chan," he said. "I got three solid hours at least," he claimed, putting on his _I'm so serious and reliable_ face.

Sakura doubted that, but she did a quick, routine examination and couldn't find anything alarmingly wrong- only a slightly strange edginess to his chakra. But that wasn't too unusual for shinobi, after a big fight.

"How's your arm?" she asked. "Any problems?"

He shook his head. "No problems at all! I feel _fine_ , Sakura-chan!"

Well, she didn't really have the time or energy for a more thorough examination; she needed to do her rounds quickly, and then she wanted to get to the tower to see what was going on.

"If I let you go, you have to promise to go straight home and rest," she ordered. "And when things settle down, I want you to come in for another check-up."

"I promise!" he said. "Thanks, Sakura-chan!"

And then he was out of there in the blink of an eye- out the _window_ , no less. It seemed he was on board, with keeping his visit to the hospital under wraps for now.

Yes, it wasn't unusual for shinobi's chakra to be strained after a fight. It was unusual for _Naruto_ , however. She would need to keep a close eye on him; and she wasn't looking forward to letting the Hokage know what was going on.

* * *

 _Coming up next: Naruto goes straight home as instructed by Sakura-sensei. …just not to HIS home._

A/N: Hmmm so just how much does Sakura suspect? Well, I think Naruto-kun is getting better at lying to people- is that a good thing or a bad thing? But of course, neither Naruto OR Sakura want Konoha and the Hokage knowing that there's something wrong with their dependable hero. She's rather defensive when it comes to her boys.

By the way, are you all following me on tumblr...? I do post about LotRol sometimes, like whenever I change my mind about how this should end (I've changed the ending FOUR times now, ahaha….*sigh*.) Anyway if you're interested, my username is the same as here: shherie!


	32. Fever, Part I

**Naruto Fanfic: Lost on the Road of Life (32 of 44)**

 **Fever, Part I (Naruto's POV)**

 _In which Naruto goes straight home as instructed by Sakura-sensei. …just not to HIS home._

A/N: What's this, a mid-week update? Ah yes, it IS! I'm writing like a demon now that we're approaching the end. I can't guarantee we'll have two chapters every week, but we'll see how we go!

* * *

Naruto didn't know what the _hell_ was going on with him, but he needed to figure it out, ASAP. It was _his_ fault that all those enemy shinobi had been able to just come out of nowhere and attack Konoha. It was _his_ fault that those people had died. He just knew it.

It had been Naruto's mission to keep Konoha safe; to let nothing escape his notice and to let nothing past his defences. Obviously he'd failed, and when the attack had come he'd been weaker than a kitten- not even able to summon one more lousy clone. What was _wrong_?!

He needed to talk to Sasuke, _now_. He was the only one who could possibly understand. And they had to figure it out _before_ people found out what had happened- they couldn't know what Naruto had done. He couldn't bear that.

Naruto bounded over rooftops heading away from the hospital. He'd be at Sasuke's apartment in no time. _So, let's review the facts_ , he said to himself. When they'd been attacked Naruto had summoned about two dozen clones…and then he'd been unable to call on any more. Not only that, but he'd been unable to use any of his more advanced jutsus. He knew it wasn't because of his new arm. He'd trained and trained after his operation, and he'd been able to do pretty much everything he could do before.

At least, he _had_ been able to. Something had gone wrong since then, and it was _terrifying_. And when Naruto had tried to use his Sage chakra…it had hurt like a bitch. His head was still aching from that- it had felt like lightening running right down his centre through his brain, burning him from the inside out.

Naruto growled to himself. He had no _idea_ what the problem was. He was useless at this kind of stuff; he needed someone brainy to figure it all out. Sakura was already suspicious that something was wrong but she didn't know the whole story, and Naruto would prefer that it stayed that way. Sasuke did know; he'd been able to feel it. So, Sasuke then.

He landed in front of Sasuke's building and made his way to the front door, and discovered- guards. _Oh. Right. He wasn't meant to leave Konoha…and he did._ Naruto bit his lip and tried to push that thought out of his head. He'd feel guilty about that later.

"I'm gonna need to get through, guys," Naruto said to the two chuunins on the door- he didn't recognize their faces. He figured the _real_ guards were elsewhere. "If you wouldn't mind."

The two chuunin were staring back at him with terror in their eyes. "We- no-one's allowed through," said the girl, looking absolutely panicked.

Naruto frowned. Honestly, there was no need to be _scared_. Sure, Naruto _could_ push his way through these guys if he needed to- but it would be better to do this the nice way.

"That- that's right," the boy added, "not even you, Naruto-sama."

 _Naruto-_ _ **sama**_ _? …that's awful,_ Naruto thought. _Naruto-_ _ **san**_ _is bad enough_. Another downside of being a so-called 'hero'. Anyway, he needed to get through. There was quite a lot of noise coming from Sasuke's apartment, and he needed to know what it was. He could hear Suigetsu's voice, and realised that those Taka boys must be being kept here as well.

"I'm sure those are your orders," Naruto said, flashing them a grin, "but were you specifically told that _I_ wasn't allowed in?" There was a bark of laughter from inside. _Laughter? What is going_ _ **on**_ _in there!?_

The two ninjas shifted uncomfortably. "Well, um…no," the girl admitted, looking reluctant, and the boy elbowed her in the ribs and glared at her.

"Ah!" Naruto said to that, pleased that things were going his way at last. "Then I _am_ allowed in! But good job guys, you're doing _great_ -"

"Stop messing with the chuunins, they don't deserve it," came a voice, and Naruto looked behind him to discover Pakkun in the hall. The little pug was wearing his usual, disapproving doggy frown- at least, that was his usual expression when he was looking at _Naruto_.

"Pakkun!" Naruto exclaimed, happy to see the little guy- it had been a while! "Right, but, I need to see Sasuke, so-"

"It's fine," Pakkun said to the guards, averting his gaze. "Hokage's orders. He can go in."

The guards exchanged glances, obviously considering the wisdom of accepting orders from a _dog_ , but then shrugged and moved aside. People were definitely getting used to the ninken roaming around town on Hokage business, as weird as it was- but every Hokage had their quirks, or so they said.

"Thanks, Pakkun!" Naruto said to him brightly as he opened the door, leaving the pug behind in the hall. The laughter from inside the apartment had turned to loud and energetic arguing, and he braced himself as he went inside.

…and there he found the two Taka boys, another chuunin, and Sai, completely at home in Sasuke's living room gathered around the coffee table, playing some kind of game. Naruto gazed around and saw another guard- an Anbu, this time- leaning against the wall in the kitchen. Sasuke himself, however, was nowhere to be seen.

Well, with all this _noise_ , Naruto wasn't surprised. Sasuke was probably hiding in his room.

"You are _cheating_!" yelled Suigetsu, glaring over at Sai. "Where did you get all those sheep from?! You must have been hiding them!"

"I offered you sheep," said Juugo, giving his silver-haired friend a look.

"I don't want _your_ sheep!" Suigetsu said back to that. "After your cheating in the last round!"

"It's not cheating to be winning, Suigetsu-san," said Sai, with that sneaky smile of his. "Oh look, it's Naruto-kun!"

They all turned at once and stared over him, and Naruto gave them a wary smile. "Uh, hey guys…" he said. He went over to the coffee table cautiously, trying to figure out what the hell they were doing. "So, um, what's all this…?"

"We're being locked up, what does it look like?" Suigetsu said. "It's an outrage! And Anbu everywhere- don't they have anything better to do!" He growled in the direction of the Anbu in the kitchen- who didn't respond at all.

"We crossed the wall," Juugo murmured to his friend.

"And saved like, the whole village! We're _heroes_!" Suigetsu exclaimed.

Naruto didn't know about _that_ , but it was probably true that they'd saved Chouji, when he himself couldn't. Naruto had been in _despair_ , with his friend bleeding out on the ground and his body refusing to give him the chakra he needed to defend them all. What would have happened if Sasuke hadn't showed up?

…better not to think about it, perhaps.

"So they're keeping all three of you in one tiny apartment?" he asked. Poor Sasuke! "And Sai? What on earth are _you_ doing here?"

"I'm guarding them, obviously," Sai said, turning back to the pile of cards he was holding. "What does it _look_ like?"

Naruto had no idea what it _looked_ like. They had a big, multi-coloured board on the table in front of them with little token-things on top, and the whole room- the table, the floor, the couch- was covered in empty food packets and dirty dishes. It was a _mess_.

"Where's Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "He must hate this. How have you guys gotten away with all this mess and noise?"

"He's sick," Suigetsu said. "So he doesn't care about anything. Though you'd think that _someone_ would care about getting us some more food. We're starving!"

"He's _sick_?" Naruto exclaimed. "What's wrong with him?!"

They all shrugged, except for Juugo, who gave him a mildly concerned look.

Naruto gave a frustrated sigh and stormed off down the hallway. Sasuke was _sick_? And these guys were just trashing his apartment and eating all his food in the meantime. Honestly! He reached the door and hesitated. Should he knock…? What if Sasuke was sleeping? It occurred to him that he'd never actually seen inside Sasuke's bedroom since he'd moved in.

He softly rattled on the door. "Sasuke?" he called in a low voice. "Are you in there?"

There was no response other than a low-pitched hiss. Oh, that was _definitely_ him! Well, too bad, he needed to see if Sasuke was okay- because he really, really needed to talk to him.

"I'm coming in, Sasuke," Naruto warned, and then he pushed the door open a little and entered the lion's den.

It was almost pitch-black apart from the miniscule amount of light coming in from the door. Naruto stumbled forward and soon hit the bed, kicking his toes on the base. Wincing in pain, he looked down at the bed and saw nothing but huge collection of blankets all gathered up in a pile, with only the tiniest bit of raven-black hair poking out the top near the pillows.

"Uh, Sasuke?" Naruto said, gingerly sitting down on the very edge of the bed and reaching out for the blanket-mountain. "Are you okay? I heard you were sick."

There was a cough and another hiss, and then Sasuke peered out of the blankets just the tiniest bit and glared at him. Yes, it was very dark in here, but there was enough light for Naruto to recognize _that_. "'m not sick," Sasuke rasped out, his voice scratchy and harsh. "…go away…" He sneezed, and then buried back into his blankets.

Naruto looked around, and saw a half-full jug of water and stack of tissues on the bedside table, spilling down onto the floor. There was another sneeze, forceful enough to shake the blanket-mountain.

"I think you _are_ sick," Naruto said, inching closer and reaching out to pull aside a corner of blanket. He looked down at Sasuke's normally pale face, which was now a worrying shade of pink. "I guess we _were_ out in the rain, and it was freezing. Did you catch a cold?"

Sasuke growled at him and tried to cover himself again. Naruto ignored the growl and reached over to rest his hand on Sasuke's forehead. _Yep, that's a fever,_ he thought to himself.

"Have you taken anything?" he asked, gazing at his friend in concern. He didn't think he'd ever seen Sasuke sick before- or incapacitated in any way since they were in the hospital after the war.

Silence. Sasuke stared back at him, _glared_ back at him, but eventually shook his head. "'m _fine_ ," he repeated, rasping.

 _Right, sure you are_. "And I'll bet you haven't eaten anything, either. Not that there's anything _to_ eat." He sighed, realising he'd have to go out and get something himself. Konoha was obviously having a staffing issue at the moment, if _chuunin_ had been delegated to the task of guarding this apartment. "I'll be back soon, okay? I'm gonna get you some food."

There was no response other than Sasuke disappearing again. Naruto rolled his eyes and stood up, heading out of his room, and wondering what kind of ramen would be best for healing a cold.

* * *

As soon as he stepped back through the door Suigetsu was on him and rifling through the grocery bags. "Ohh, great!" the shark-toothed boy exclaimed, running away with 80% of the snack food that Naruto had bought.

Naruto stared down helplessly at his now much-lighter shopping bags. … _fantastic_. He sighed and fished out the can of soup that he'd bought for Sasuke, placing it on the counter.

"Tomato soup?" murmured Juugo, joining him in the kitchen and glancing at the can.

Naruto instantly reached his hand out and placed it over the soup protectively. There was no way he was letting them take _that_ too!

"I thought Sasuke would like it," he said sheepishly. "…now I just need to figure out how to heat it up." It probably wasn't like ramen that you just added hot water to. It had been an impulse buy, but Naruto was already regretting his choice. Ramen would have been easier.

Juugo reached into a cupboard and pulled out a saucepan and some kind of metal contraption. "I'll do it for you," he said. "And I cleaned up a little. But they messed it up again."

Naruto glanced around the apartment and could not tell that anything had changed at all. _Great job cleaning up_ , he thought. _But hey, if he manages to heat up the soup…Sasuke doesn't have to know I didn't do it myself…_

"Okay," Naruto said back, reluctantly. "I should really get a message to Sakura, anyway. Ask her to stop by sometime."

"She's already here," Juugo said, taking the can and using the metal thing to open it. "I sent a message with the dogs."

Heat and resentment flared up in Naruto instantly, and he struggled to bite it down. _Get a grip, Naruto! So what if this guy is trying to take care of Sasuke? He wasn't, before I said anything. And anyway, Sasuke likes_ _ **me**_ _. …at least, I think he does. I_ _ **hope**_ _he does._

"…great," he eventually said back, leaning on the counter and watching as Juugo tipped the contents of the can into the saucepan. After a few minutes a rich smell of tomatoes was filling the kitchen, so Naruto figured it was working. He scrounged around to find a bowl and a spoon, and then quickly buttered some bread in case Sasuke wanted something with his soup. … _there. That should do it._

Juugo poured the soup into the bowl and handed it back to him. "I'm sure he'll feel better soon," he said.

"Sure," Naruto said back. "…thanks." He took the soup and bread and headed back into Sasuke's room.

And there he found Sakura, pouring some pills into a little dish. She'd turned on a lamp so the room was a little lighter than before. Sasuke had emerged from his blankets and was slumped against the headboard, looking extremely un-happy and still rather pink.

"Oh, Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed. "The boys mentioned that you'd been here. Is that soup?"

"Yeah," he answered. "I went to get some food."

"Great," Sakura said. "He needs to eat something before he takes these. And the kitchen was empty. And after that he needs to go right back to sleep- got that, Sasuke?"

"Mm," Sasuke murmured in response, looking down at his sheets with unfocused eyes. His skin looked heated and clammy and his arms were shaking just a little. _He really_ _ **is**_ _sick. Poor thing. And poor me; I needed his help!_ But it didn't look like he'd be getting anything useful out of Sasuke for a while.

"What's wrong with him?" Naruto asked Sakura, sitting down on the bed with the soup and bread in his lap. Sasuke shot him a glare instantly, but it didn't have quite as much as its usual force with his eyes so hazy and clouded. Naruto was able to stand up to it easily.

"It's just a cold and a fever," Sakura answered. "He'll be completely better in a few days. By tomorrow even. I'll stop by again tomorrow afternoon, okay Sasuke?"

"Mm," Sasuke repeated, not looking like he cared in the slighted.

"Okay Mr. Sickie, open up!" Naruto sang, bringing a spoonful a soup towards Sasuke's mouth. "It's good!"

Sasuke just glared some more and Sakura scoffed. "Good luck with that, Naruto-kun!" she said, gathering up her supplies and putting them back in her bag.

"Oh come on, Sasuke! It's not ramen, I promise! It's tomato soup. You'll like it!"

Sasuke continued to glare but eventually he leant forward, opened his mouth, and let Naruto feed him the soup.

…Naruto was shocked. He hadn't _actually_ expected Sasuke to let Naruto feed him, not in a million years! Sasuke Uchiha, letting someone take care of him?! Never! " _Sakura_ ," he hissed under his breath. "It's letting me _feed_ it! What do I do?!"

Sasuke shot him a deadly look and sat back in the bed again, making an unhappy growling noise in the back of his throat.

"Well, don't make any sudden movements," Sakura commented dryly. "You don't want to startle him."

Naruto nodded. Good idea! He filled the spoon with more soup and Sasuke accepted that one as well. Amazing!

"I'll be back later. Be good, Sasuke!" Sakura ordered, before waving to them both and leaving the room.

Naruto continued to feed him the soup, even managing to give him some of the bread before Sasuke turned away and refused to eat any more.

"Come on, Sasuke," Naruto cajoled. "It's almost all gone!"

"…no," Sasuke growled, "…don't wanna." He buried back down into his pillows. Naruto grabbed the pills and a cup of water, figuring that Sasuke would be disappearing under his blankets any moment now.

"At least take these first," Naruto urged, holding out the medicine, which Sasuke reluctantly took. And then as predicted, Sasuke hauled all one hundred of his blankets back over him and snuggled back down to the bed.

"…turn the light out," he ordered, shooting Naruto one last look before covering his face.

Naruto sighed and placed the almost-empty bowl on the table before reaching over to switch off the lamp. Then he shuffled over onto the other side of the bed, stole a pillow, and lay down next to the blanket-mountain.

"…what are you doing," said a gruff, stuffy voice.

"Hey, I'm _tired_!" Naruto exclaimed, shifting over to get comfortable. He was _more_ than tired, actually. "I've been up all night, and after that attack! And then I went shopping for you, you ungrateful brat. I'm taking a nap, right here!"

The blankets didn't respond to that, so Naruto figured that Sasuke either didn't care, or that he was too weak and sick to protest. Good, because _he_ was too weak to go anywhere. He quickly snatched a blanket from the top of the pile hoping Sasuke wouldn't notice, shifted over to the furthest side of the bed, and curled up to finally get some rest.

* * *

He fell into a heavy and dreamless sleep and when he woke, hours later, he found Sasuke standing next to the bed scowling down at him. Naruto stared back up at him in silence, confused. Where was he…? He left the hospital and then he- oh!

Naruto jolted and almost fell to the floor in surprise. "Ahh!" he exclaimed to Sasuke. "What are you _doing_?!"

"What are _you_ doing?" Sasuke hissed back, hands on his hips, looking _very_ cross. "Why are you in my bed?!"

Naruto groaned, reaching over to the table for some water. His head was _pounding_ even after his nap. He glanced at the clock and found that it was mid-afternoon. There was still a lot of noise coming from the living room, so he figured that the boys were still at it. …great.

"Why are you awake?" Naruto asked, warily. Sasuke was meant to be resting. How long had he been standing there watching him?

"Bathroom," Sasuke responded. "…and shower."

Well, fine then.

Naruto sighed, shuffled back into his stolen pillow and retrieved his stolen blanket from where it had fallen to the floor. "Are you feeling any better? Get back into bed, Sakura said you have to rest!"

Sasuke continued to stare down at him with his face full of annoyance and disgust, but eventually he did get back in, gathering up his blankets and re-arranging them over himself. "…get out," he said to Naruto.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "No," he said back. "I'm here to take care of you. And as soon as you're better, we need to talk." He lay a hand gently on Sasuke's forehead and found that he was only a little less warm now than he had been this morning. He was still definitely sick.

Sasuke flinched when Naruto touched him and he pulled away, burrowing back down under the blankets.

 _…oh. What'd I do?!_

"Um, Sasuke," Naruto said, lying back down carefully and creating as much distance between them as possible. "I guess I should thank you, you know, for coming to help us. Even though it got you into trouble."

The pile of blankets shifted, in a shrugging motion.

Naruto took a breath, and went on. He didn't have time to wait for Sasuke to recover. "Anyway, I was hoping we could talk about something-"

" _No_ ," Sasuke snarled, peering out at him, his face barely visible in the dim light but his eyes glinting maliciously anyway.

Naruto frowned. But they had to talk; Naruto needed _help_! And Sasuke seemed mildly coherent at the moment, unlike before, so he had to take this chance. "But Sasuke-"

"No!" Sasuke growled. "I _hate_ you!"

Naruto blinked, and widened his eyes. What? _That_ was a bit of an overreaction! He reached a hand out to the blankets. "Sasuke, you don't _hate_ me, you-"

Sasuke pushed the blankets back and turned the full force of his death-glare on Naruto all at once. "You _kissed_ him!" he hissed.

Naruto snatched his hand back, feeling guilty instantly. And all of a sudden it all came back to him. Omoi, that night, the look on Sasuke's face when they'd argued on the rooftop. It seemed so _long_ ago, considering what had happened yesterday! But of _course_ , Sasuke would still be angry about it. He wasn't the type of person to just let things go- Naruto knew _that_ very well.

But still, even if Sasuke was mad at him he had still come to help him when he'd needed it the most. So…that had to mean something, right?

Naruto cleared his throat. "Well technically, he kissed _me_ -"

" _Naruto_!" Sasuke shot at him, "don't you _dare_ try to make excuses!"

He bit his lip and sat back. But Naruto hadn't initiated it at all! He hadn't known what Omoi was about to do, of course he hadn't. So what if there'd been a little flirting before that? Omoi was just like that. And Naruto had pushed him away, so…

…but Sasuke was obviously feeling hurt. And… maybe it wasn't just about the other night. Naruto didn't think that what he'd done all those months ago was so terrible, and yet, if he'd found out that Sasuke had been with someone….well, yeah, he would have felt pretty hurt as well.

"…you're right," Naruto eventually said back to Sasuke. "It was wrong. I'm sorry."

Sasuke scowled at him and disappeared back under the covers.

"And I won't ever do it again, I won't kiss _anyone_!" he said. And then he paused, considering it. "I won't even kiss _you_! Remember, I said I wasn't going to do it anymore- it's up to you now!"

The blankets shifted as Sasuke rolled over to face the other wall away from him. "…like I care," he muttered, his voice muffled and still stuffy. "Do what you want."

Obviously he _did_ care, based on that reaction! Naruto felt like the idiot that Sasuke always said he was, barging in here and trying to take care of Sasuke like nothing was wrong. In his panic over his chakra issue, he'd completely forgotten that Sasuke was so upset.

Naruto felt helpless. What was he going to do? He needed to talk about his problem, and even more, he needed Sasuke to not be so mad at him. His stomach clenched in anxiety and unhappiness and he sat up and swung his legs out to the side of the bed. He didn't know how to fix this. How could he make this better?

"Maybe I should go," he murmured, peering over at Sasuke.

The blankets shrugged again. "…whatever," he said.

Naruto stared down at the ground. He had no idea how to make this better.

* * *

 _Coming up next: Sasuke is sick, angry, and generally miserable, and also freezing, but at least he managed to find a heater in his bed. But why won't that idiotic dead-last leave him alone?!_

A/N: Quick, what can we make Sasuke do while he's sick and delirious? We've already gotten him to verbally admit he's angry about that kiss, I'm gonna call that PROGRESS, even though it hurt poor Naruto's feelings. (It's okay, Naruto-kun, based on the readers' reactions, most people are on YOUR side, much to my surprise!)


	33. Fever, Part II

**Fever, Part II (Sasuke's POV)**

 _In which Sasuke is sick, angry, and generally miserable, and also freezing, but at least he managed to find a heater in his bed. But why won't that idiotic dead-last leave him alone?!_

A/N: In response to your hilarious comments, YES our Sasukins is a huge baby when he's sick! I promise you that Naruto would be _worse_ though, oh god, sooooo whiney and demanding, and needing ALL the ramen RIGHT NOW. (I would take care of him though, of course!)

THANK YOU again for all your comments, they are the magic fuel I need to push through to the end of this fic!

* * *

There was a big, fuzzy wall in Sasuke's brain standing between him and coherent thought. … _'m not sick_ , he told himself as he forced his heavy eyes open and peeked out at the world. Everything was dark and he couldn't see anything. Why couldn't he see anything? Had he gone blind? Had he even succeeded in opening his eyes? But he was _Sasuke Uchiha_. If he wanted to open his eyes, he would damn well open his eyes!

He tried to lift a hand to his face to see if his eyes were still closed, but his arm was just very, very heavy. … _later_ , he said to himself. _I'll do it later_. He realized he was shivering violently and wondered why he didn't have more blankets on him. It was freezing! He groaned as a particularly violent shudder jarred his aching head. _Warmth, must find warmth_. He shifted over on his bed hoping to find more blankets and instead found…something. Something else.

… _what's it_ , Sasuke wondered _, is it a heater_? It _felt_ like a heater. But it didn't matter what it was, it was warm, deliciously warm, and he was _so_ cold. Still shivering, Sasuke managed to slide over to this unexpected source of heat and curl up to it, pulling his blankets over his head and sighing in relief. … _that's better_ , he thought; _much better_.

* * *

Sasuke was drifting, floating, perfectly warm and perfectly content. If only his head wasn't aching. If only his throat wasn't so sore. If only his bed wasn't heaving and shifting underneath him.

He growled under his breath and pushed down on his mattress without opening his eyes. _Stay_ _ **still**_ , he thought, _I am_ _ **sleeping**_ _!_

"…Sasuke," came a voice, from very far away.

He growled again. "No," he muttered, and he winced at the stab of pain that hit his throat. He groaned and squeezed his eyes tighter shut, snuggling into his heater and blankets.

"Sasuke," said the fair-away voice again, muffled and echo-y. "It's just that, you're gonna be _super_ pissed if you wake up like this, if you could just move over a little…"

He felt something touching his hips, trying to move him, and his ninja instincts cut through all the haze at once. His eyes flew open and he twisted away from his enemy, reaching for the kunai under his pillows. How had someone gotten into his room without him waking?!

"Sasuke!" Naruto shrieked at him, flinching at the kunai pressed into his throat. "What the hell? Could you _not_ try to kill me so early in the morning?!"

Sasuke blinked and felt overwhelmingly confused. He closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to clear away the fog, and he bit back a groan at his aching head. When he opened his eyes again he found himself sitting on Naruto's chest pinning him to the bed, holding a super-sharp dagger against his skin.

"…Naruto?" Sasuke rasped, narrowing his eyes. "What are you….what…um…"

"Yeah, okay, you're still really sick," Naruto said to him, trying to shift away from the blade and not succeeding; Sasuke's hand automatically followed him and kept it pressed tight to his neck. "How about we just put the kunai down, okay Sasuke? And then I'll get you some pain-killers, how does that sound? Some nice medicine?"

…actually, that did sound nice. _Very_ nice. Sasuke sat back and took the dagger away, and Naruto breathed a sigh of relief and brought a hand up to gingerly pry it out of Sasuke's tightly-clenched fingertips. Sasuke started to sway, suddenly feeling very, very dizzy, and he let Naruto guide him back down to the bed where he whimpered and reached for his blankets.

"I know, it hurts right? Give me a second, I'll be right back."

Sasuke squinted into the dim, foggy light of his room and saw Naruto leaving his bed and then disappear. What was he doing here? Sasuke hated him. A lot. He couldn't remember why at this exact moment, but he was sure he had his reasons. … _later_ , he told himself. _We'll figure it out later_.

"Okay, here's some more of the medicine that Sakura left you," came Naruto's voice, and Sasuke opened his eyes and found the blonde staring down at him. "You have to eat something too, so I brought you some bread. Just a little, and then you'll feel better."

Sasuke highly doubted that. But he decided to eat the bread that the moron was holding out to him anyway; his voice was very loud and Sasuke wanted him to stop talking. More than that, he wanted the medicine. So he ate, and then mercifully Naruto fed him the pills and held a glass of water up to his mouth.

He sighed in relief; he knew that Sakura's medicine was one of the best things in the world. It'd probably even make him feel better about this idiot here. …who was once again in his bed, and was still talking. Sasuke rolled over to face him and glared, but Naruto didn't seem to notice.

"I just really need to talk to you," Naruto was saying, "so it'd be great if you could just be, like, not sick. I guess that's not gonna happen though. You're still way too warm."

And then Naruto's hand was on his forehead and Sasuke scowled and tried to shake it off. _Don't touch me_ , he tried to say; but he was pretty sure he didn't manage to say it out loud.

"I don't think anyone else had realised," Naruto went on, and Sasuke winced at the loud voice, burying down in his blankets. "Ino didn't notice, she was too busy worrying about Chouji…same with Sakura-chan, I think…but what if- no, I mean, obviously it's not _permanent_ , it's just like…I don't know, but we can fix it…"

What was he talking about? A dim memory came into Sasuke's mind of the idiot's friends bleeding and screeching at him, with water and trees all around him.

"I don't know what _happened_ ," Naruto continued. "What if it happens again? I've never taken that long to heal, just a few stupid cuts, what if that keeps happening? There was so much blood. And I'm meant to be…I mean, people want me to be…and, you know, I…"

Sasuke didn't know. He didn't know at _all_. Who was bleeding? Naruto didn't bleed. He didn't even _bruise_. Naruto could bite him and Sasuke would be left with marks until Sakura healed him, but no amount of biting could mark the idiotic dead-last. It wasn't _fair_.

He stared over at Naruto. It was very cloudy in his room for some reason, but he could still make out the blurry edges of the blonde, who still dared to be in Sasuke's bed. Looking over at Naruto brought up several different feelings and thoughts in Sasuke's hazy mind. Anger, to start with; black, rage-inducing anger. Annoyance. Frustration. Hate. Desire. Need. They all swirled together in an unhappy mix that left Sasuke reeling.

"What am I gonna do? If people find out what I did…it's my fault that those guys got through. Three people _died_ , Sasuke!"

Sasuke shivered, and he saw the blurry blonde reach over to pull his blankets back over his shoulders. It wasn't enough, though; he was freezing again.

There were two thoughts in particular that stood out above all else through the haze in his mind. _Warm_ , and **_mine_**.

Sasuke shifted over on the bed and curled up against the heater/moron. Naruto stared down at him and frowned, and tried to pull him off. So Sasuke wrapped an arm around Naruto's waist and slipped a leg over as well when the blonde tried harder to wriggle out from under him. _I'm an Uchiha_ , he told himself, _and this heater is mine_!

"Sasuke," Naruto whined, "look, you're just gonna be annoyed when you're coherent again, and what's in those drugs anyway?! It's for your own good…"

Naruto was trying harder to push him away, but no, there was no way this dead-last was getting his way. Sasuke had every right to do exactly what he wanted to him- and no-one else! _Got that, dead-last?_ Sasuke growled in his mind; _no-one else_!

"Don't growl at me, Sasuke…" Naruto said with a sigh, but he stopped struggling and lay still. "Fine, do what you want. But let it be known that I tried to remove you!"

Sasuke pushed himself up to sit on Naruto's hips, swaying a bit and shivering as his blankets fell off his shoulders. He had a sudden image of Naruto bleeding and he found the thought very, very appealing. He wasn't bleeding now, though. So Sasuke leaned down and breathed against Naruto, moving across his throat to a nice warm bit of skin. He licked his lips and then placed a very soft, light warning kiss against his skin.

"Um, Sasuke," Naruto said, shifting underneath him. "What are you-"

And then Sasuke bit down, hard, and Naruto shrieked and bucked his hips. Sasuke bit down harder and used his arms to pin Naruto down to the bed for good measure; he _wasn't_ going to be thrown off!

Naruto shrieked again and Sasuke winced at the loud noise, and then there was more noise over by his bedroom door and the moron tried even harder to throw him off.

"Sasuke, what the hell- oh, shit, sorry!" came a voice from somewhere in the room and Naruto yelped and cried out.

"Cut it out!" Naruto said to him, pulling his arms free and pushing at Sasuke's shoulders. Sasuke looked down and saw a pleasing bit of blood marking the moron's throat, and as he watched, keeping his eyes glued to the spot, the blood just stayed there; he wasn't healing!

Sasuke grinned at that and wriggled out of Naruto's grasp, leaning down again to place another bite next to the first. Oh, this was _excellent_! Now everyone would know that Naruto was _his_! He placed a wet, sticky kiss over this second bite and sucked down hard, pressing into Naruto's skin with his tongue and eliciting a loud groan from the blonde under him.

" _Teme_ , what has gotten into you?! Did I give you the wrong pills- ah!" he cried out when Sasuke bit him again, higher on his neck this time, and tangled his fingers through his blonde hair and tugged down hard.

Sasuke moved to the other side of his neck and wondered how long it would take to leave the blonde with a truly magnificent bruise. Naruto was shifting under him and Sasuke growled and rolled his hips, grinning against his skin when Naruto gasped and moaned at the sudden contact. This guy might be a moron, but he was wonderfully warm, and his skin was delicious. How had Sasuke not noticed this before?!

He lay down on Naruto's chest properly, nuzzling into his neck and wondering where to place his next bite. He slipped his hands up under Naruto's shirt and found that a great improvement over leaving them out in the cold air. What was the idiot saying? Oh, he didn't care. Sasuke's mind started to haze up again and he let his eyes close as he ran his hands over Naruto's chest and pressed kisses into his skin.

"Look, Sasuke," Naruto was saying from somewhere, his voice becoming muddled and far away again. "If you insist then I'm not gonna say _no_ \- Sasuke?"

The world was turning dark and Sasuke breathed in and out, content and warm. Was someone speaking to him? It didn't matter. … _later_ , he told himself; _we'll figure everything out later_ …

"Sasuke? Sasuke, you _bastard_ -"

And then Sasuke slipped into a deep, peaceful sleep and didn't hear any more.

* * *

When Sasuke woke the next time there was light pouring into his room from the open door. He groaned and rolled over to glance at the clock on the wall; 11:30 am. From the kitchen he could hear far too many voices. So, Juugo and Suigetsu were still here, hey? He bit back another groan. The tower sure knew how to punish someone for crossing the wall without permission. He'd never do it again.

It wasn't just noise reaching him from the kitchen; they must be cooking out there as well. Sasuke's stomach growled and he realised he was _starving_. He pushed off his blankets- where the hell had they all come from?! There were dozens of them- and stumbled out of bed, grabbing a shirt from the floor as he went. He'd figure out why he'd been shirtless later.

"Ah! Sasuke, you're awake!" came Suigetsu's high-pitched greeting, and Sasuke winced. "About time! Juugo wouldn't let us eat until you came out!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and held a hand up to his aching head. Glancing around his apartment he found an aproned Juugo at the stove, an energetic Suigetsu and a sombre-looking dead-last at the table, and the biggest mess he'd ever seen in somewhere _he_ lived. No, this was unacceptable!

"What the _hell_ is with this mess?!" Sasuke growled at them all, flashing them a look of supreme displeasure and annoyance. "And what _are_ you doing here?!" he added, throwing an extra glare at Naruto, who was looking wildly unhappy to be sitting next to Suigetsu.

"He noticed the mess!" Naruto exclaimed, brightening up. "He must be feeling better!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and fell into a chair. He looked over at the stove.

"Naruto went out and bought groceries again," Juugo said to him, glancing over his shoulder. In another moment he turned around properly and placed three plates of food on the table.

Sasuke grabbed at one instantly and was shovelling it down without even really looking at what it was. It felt like he hadn't eaten in years! Bacon, eggs, and grilled tomato; perhaps he could give them all a stay of execution over the mess, if they kept feeding him like _this_.

"Ohh look, Naruto-kun, he's famished!" Suigetsu said to Naruto with a toothy grin and a knowing expression on his annoying face. "You must have properly worn him out!"

Naruto sighed and pulled away from where Suigetsu was pawing at his face. He reached out for a plate of his own and frowned down at the table. "I already told you nothing happened!" he muttered in the silver-haired boy's direction. "Just shut up about it already!"

"Right, nothing happened," Suigetsu said to that. "And these? They just appeared out on nowhere, did they?" Suigetsu reached out and pulled at Naruto's high-collared shirt until the fabric shifted away, and a set of startling bites and bruises became visible on his neck.

Naruto growled and pushed Suigetsu away. He glanced over at Sasuke briefly and blushed bright red, redder than the tomatoes on the plate, and then looked away.

Sasuke stared, his fork half-way to his mouth. What were _those_?! He narrowed his eyes, thinking hard. There's no way that the idiot would dare show his face around here if he'd let someone _else_ mark him like that. No, surely he'd learnt his lesson, and-

- _and he's_ _ **mine**_ , growled a voice in Sasuke's head, and then all of a sudden it all came back to him. Naruto writhing under him. Sasuke's delight at being able to bite him and not have his bites heal instantly. Naruto whining about how he wasn't healing. Naruto whining about how he'd failed his mission. Because something was wrong, and-

Sasuke dropped his fork on the table with a clang and everyone stopped talking and stared at him. "Naruto," Sasuke hissed. "What the _hell_ is wrong with you?!"

"Ah, I'll bet people have been asking that for _years_ now, hey Naruto-kun?" Suigetsu said with a smirk, ruffling the moron's messy blonde hair.

"Let go of him," Sasuke growled, pushing his chair back and standing up. Breakfast would have to wait. "Balcony, _now_ , dead-last!"

"In public?" Suigetsu exclaimed. "Ohhh, kinky!"

Sasuke glared at them all and stormed across the kitchen, sliding the balcony door open with far more aggression than was strictly necessary and not giving a damn if the outside of his apartment was off limits. "Naruto!" he hissed again over his shoulder. " _Now_!"

He heard Naruto take a deep breath and then follow him outside, dragging his feet on the kitchen floor. And then as soon as he'd joined Sasuke on the balcony Sasuke slammed the door shut and turned his glare directly onto him.

"What is going _on_?" Sasuke demanded. "Tell me everything, now!"

Naruto winced and leaned against the balcony's edge. "Sasuke, shh," he said, giving him a significant look. "The Anbu-"

"I don't give a damn about the Anbu!" Sasuke said back.

"Well, _I_ do," Naruto said to that, with a deeply unhappy look on his face.

"Oh, fine!" Sasuke said, making a seal with his hand and putting up a sound barrier around the balcony. "You've got about ten minutes before they figure out how to break that. Spill. What is _wrong_ with you? Why couldn't you use your Sage chakra?!"

"I don't know, okay!" Naruto said back, "why do you think I'm here?! You need to help me, Sasuke, when people find out that it's my fault we got attacked-"

"Oh, right, because _that's_ the problem here," Sasuke interrupted. "That your precious Konoha might _love_ you less. Naruto, if people find out about this- people that _matter_ \- don't you think they're going to come after you?! Akatsuki has not disappeared, you know!"

"Then you have to help me!" Naruto repeated. "I don't know what went wrong! And I've tried and tried since then, and I can barely call up a dozen clones! And I'm so _tired_ -"

"You must be under some kind of jutsu, or you've been poisoned," Sasuke interrupted again. "When did this all start? Tell me everything!"

"I don't know when it started, that's what I'm saying!" Naruto said, with that infuriating, helpless look on his face. "But I've been tired for _weeks_ , and having the clones out on patrol for so long- I _knew_ something was wrong, I'd go and check on them and they'd just be standing there doing nothing! I had to threaten them with all kinds of things just to get them to pay attention! No wonder the enemy got past them," Naruto added with a sad little frown.

Well, Sasuke did not like _this_. Naruto feeling sorry for himself? And who cares if he let a few enemy ninja past him? It was Konoha's own fault for thinking that one person was enough to protect them all- to protect a whole town.

"You need to think back to when this started," Sasuke demanded. "I know you've been tired. You've been on solid missions for almost a year now. Even Tsunade was worried about you, she gave Kakashi a proper scolding for it!"

"She did?" Naruto exclaimed, staring over at him with wide eyes. "Oh, you know, she got annoyed at me too, that time over ramen. After my birthday. And- oh! _Shit_ , Sasuke!" Naruto's eyes widened even further and he stared over at Sasuke in alarm. "Sasuke! I got _bitten_!"

"Yeah, well, you deserved it," Sasuke muttered, glancing at the bruises on Naruto's neck. "You-"

"No, not _these_!" Naruto interrupted. "Out in the woods! I was on a mission with Yamato-taicho, there was this guy, he _bit_ me! And he had a curse seal, he went _crazy_ -"

"A curse seal?" Sasuke exclaimed, thinking back to the mission reports he'd read. He remembered Naruto's mission with Yamato, but there was nothing mentioned about a curse seal in the report. Had it been left out on purpose? "Naruto, back up. What kind of curse seal?"

"What do you mean, what kind? The _bad_ kind! And then- and then I was sick that night, I had a fever, but I felt just fine the next morning, I _swear_! And, and then…"

"And you probably haven't used any proper jutsus or attacks since then," Sasuke guessed. "We need to get you to Sakura, now. We have to figure this out-"

"We can't tell Sakura-chan!" Naruto pleaded. "Please, Sasuke, I don't want anyone to know-"

"This is _dangerous_ , Naruto!" Sasuke said back. "You need to be at full strength. What if it's permanent?!"

"It's _not_ ," Naruto sulked. "I'm already starting to heal faster. You should have seen these bruises just an hour ago! And look-" He made a quick seal with his hands and four clones appeared on the balcony.

Sasuke glared at them all. "And how many did you just try to call up?"

Naruto scowled. "It's a work in progress, okay!" He let the clones disappear and Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief. Having five Narutos in his direct vicinity was a distinctly uncomfortable feeling.

"Look, I can't leave, but I'll send a message to Sakura. We don't need to get anyone else involved for now-"

"No!" Naruto said, stamping his foot. Sasuke blinked, surprised that he'd reduced the blonde to a _tantrum_. "I came here for _you_ r help, not anyone else's!"

"Don't be a moron," Sasuke said to that. "What am _I_ meant to do?"

"You're meant to help me!" Naruto exclaimed, and then all of a sudden there was a whoosh of air around them and three Anbu appeared on the balcony.

Sasuke growled under his breath. "Time's up, then," he hissed. "I'm not feeling well," he said to the closest Anbu. "Can you send Sakura to me?" And then he stomped across the balcony and slammed open the door, pulling Naruto in behind him.

Naruto had always been an idiot, but this was unprecedented. Well, he wasn't going to put up with it. Sasuke was going to figure out what was going on with him, _now_.

* * *

 _Coming up next: a horrified Sakura hears of Naruto's condition and takes charge, and an alarming rumour takes over Konoha._

A/N: So! Some answers (kind-of) at last! Poor Naruto, now that Sasuke knows he has to face his problems head-on, and that won't be fun for him. (And Sasuke has to face what he did when he was delirious, ahaha.)

(Have I mentioned that I adore Team Taka living together and Suigetsu annoying the hell out of Sasuke and Naruto? It is MAGIC. Love these boys all together so so much.)

p.s. I noticed I got a bunch of new followers lately, yay I'm so excited! Come and say HI in the comments, I love to hear from you and it gets me in just the right mood to keep writing!


	34. Dragons

**Dragons (Sakura's POV)**

 _In which a horrified Sakura hears of Naruto's condition and takes charge, and an alarming rumour takes over Konoha._

* * *

Sakura frowned in concentration, running her hands over the body on the table in front of her. The spider-devices that she'd seen before had been plenty scary, but these ones were on a whole other level. She could tell that the base of it was embedded in this man's wrist, but the tendrils- the _legs_ \- extended all the way up his arm and through his shoulder. It was _insane_.

She looked up and exchanged a worried glace with Tsunade. "I don't think we can remove this without risking nerve damage," she murmured. The tendrils were very fine and were too deeply entwined to be removed safely.

"I agree," Tsunade said with a nod, a hard expression on her face. "But we may have to try anyway. We need a closer examination of this thing. To compare it with the others, at least. They're coming more advanced, it would seem."

But such an operation would probably put this man's ability to use his arms at risk, Sakura was sure of it. She removed her hands from the enemy shinobi and stood up straight. She turned around to face the Anbu behind her. "I can see how these devices link in with their host's chakra currents. It must be very effective at suppressing how their chakra feels from the outside."

The Anbu nodded. "What we're focusing on now is how the devices interfere with performing justus. They have not been terribly cooperative in providing us with demonstrations, however."

Sakura considered this. Obviously, being able to supress your own chakra would be immensely valuable when entering enemy territory- that first woman she'd examined all those months ago had been passing for a _civilian_ when she'd been captured, and even Kiba's team had been surprised to discover she was a shinobi- of fairly high ability at that. But if you couldn't actually disable the device, then how could you use any attacks or techniques? Just what was the purpose of these devices, anyway, given that they were so difficult to remove?

"The shinobi that have these embedded in them- do they have any influence on shinobi around them?" Sakura asked.

Tsunade glanced at her. "That's just what I was wondering," she said with a pleased little smile. "If the presence of just one or two of these people could affect chakra detection for a whole group…that could be useful."

"Well, but it wouldn't be useful at _all_ if it stopped the group from using jutsus," Sakura mused. She moved to the sink and washed her hands. "Can I see the man with the curse seal now?" she asked the Anbu by the door.

"He won't make it," the Anbu said. "The seal has been activated for more than 48 hours now. His organs are failing from the stress."

"It takes a strong shinobi to withstand an activated curse seal for that length of time," Tsunade commented from behind her. "And this gentlemen was fairly standard in strength. I'm surprised he survived the seal initially."

Sakura frowned. "Shouldn't we try to keep him alive?" she asked, stepping through the door and into the hall. "For- for information, if nothing else?"

"We're confident we've already got what we can from him," the Anbu said, and Sakura winced at the implications behind his words.

Maybe they _had_ already gotten anything "useful" out of him, but Sakura wanted to see him nonetheless. She wondered if this man should even be here, being kept in such close proximity with all these other _ryuu_ shinobi. If he'd become agitated when this group had gotten closer to Konoha, then he was obviously affected by their presence- and now he was being kept in the same building as them.

"Haruno-sensei," said a woman Sakura didn't recognize, coming up to them in the hall. "Uchiha-san has requested that you visit his apartment. He's not well, he claims."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. So Sasuke was using the Anbu to summon her now, was he? But he should be feeling much better by now. There wasn't something _really_ wrong with him, was there? Sasuke probably just wanted her to knock Suigetsu unconscious. He was surely getting pretty annoyed with his house guests by now.

"Go ahead," Tsunade said to her with a nod. "And then you should get some rest. We have a council meeting first thing in the morning."

…right. And wouldn't _that_ be fun. Sakura made a mental note to track down Naruto today and let him know about the meeting. If he was following her instructions, he should be at home in bed right now.

 _And if he knows what's good for him_ , Sakura thought to herself, _that is exactly where he will be_!

* * *

Sakura sat on the end of Sasuke's bed, listening numbly as Sasuke calmly explained that something was seriously wrong with her best friend. And the longer Sasuke talked, the sulkier Naruto became from his position on Sasuke's bed, wrapped up in a pile of blankets as if he were trying to hide.

She stared over at Naruto in shock. "You…you can't be serious," she said. How was this _possible_? She had examined him several times in the past days. She had _noticed_ there was something off with his chakra, something- something not _right_ , and she still hadn't realised that there was an actual _problem_!

Naruto pouted and sunk further into the mountain of pillows and blankets on Sasuke's bed. "It's getting better-"

"Naruto!" she shrieked, leaping up and lunging towards him, swatting him on the head and scowling her scariest scowl. "You _idiot_! Why didn't you tell me at _once_!" Yes, of course she should have known, she was the worst doctor in the world, but he had still been _lying_ to her!

Naruto yelped and held his arms up in defence, inching away from her. "Sasuke!" he called. "Save me!"

"Save _yourself_ ," Sasuke grumbled from where he was standing by the wall. "It's your own fault, moron!"

"Lie down," Sakura ordered, pushing him off the pillows and down onto the mattress. Naruto having problems with his chakra at the same time as the _ryuu_ agents and their mysterious devices showed up was _not_ a coincidence, and Sakura was well and truly alarmed by all this. Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse!

"But Sakura-" Naruto whined, still trying to wriggle away from her.

" _Now_ , Naruto!"

He sulked and pouted some more, pushing up against her hands and resisting, but eventually he gave in to the inevitable and lay down. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't say anything before-"

"No talking!" she ordered. She fired up her hands and started her examination. She was suddenly terrified of what she might find- what if he had one of those spiders in him?! But it just wasn't possible, was it? Those things supressed chakra to such an extent that even regular shinobi became confused when confronted with them. _Everyone_ would have noticed something was wrong with Naruto if _that_ were the case.

She closed her eyes and bit her lip in concentration as she ran her hands up his left arm, and then checked the right just as a precaution. Then she sat back and breathed a sigh of relief; nothing. So that was something she could rule out, at least.

"You look less worried than before," Sasuke said from the wall, his voice low and demanding. "Why?"

She hesitated. The spiders were classified; she couldn't tell them what she had been looking for. "There's nothing impeding his chakra pathways, as such," she said. "No blocks."

"Why is that a good thing?" Sasuke said with a frown. "If that was the problem, you could just remove the block, right?"

But they still hadn't found a way to remove the devices safely. Still, if it wasn't a block, what was the problem?

"Tell me when this started," she said, turning back to Naruto and ignoring Sasuke's question.

"He got bitten by someone who he _claims_ had a curse seal," Sasuke went on with a scowl.

Sakura's blood ran cold.

"He _did_ have a curse seal!" Naruto cried. "Why would I make something like that up? I _told_ you, he went _crazy_ , and then he bit me-"

"I think I would know if we'd taken someone with a curse seal prisoner!" Sasuke retorted. "I read every single report! And who knows more about curse seals than _me_?"

"…well," Sakura said. "Actually…we did." It suddenly occurred to her that ever since she'd been working with the Anbu medical unit, her clearance levels had been raised higher than almost anyone else in her age group. She paled. That was…horrifying.

They both turned and looked at her. " _What_?" Sasuke asked, stepping forward.

"I _told_ you!" Naruto crowed. "And he bit me! And then I was sick!"

Sakura reached over and whacked him on the head again. "You got bitten by someone with a curse seal and didn't tell anyone?! What is _wrong_ with you?!" Honestly, the stupid of this boy had no limits!

Naruto pouted at her. "I felt better the next day, it was no big deal-"

"You _moron_!" she shrieked. "What if something is seriously wrong with you!" She stared at Naruto's neck but he was wearing a suspiciously high collar. No, she would have noticed if Naruto had acquired a curse seal. But that man that had bit him- he'd been so agitated for _days_ , and now it looked like he wasn't even going to make it.

"It's _not_ , I'm already getting better, I swear!" Naruto said, huddling back in the blankets and sulking. "And why would you say something like that, that's so mean!"

"How do you _know_ that? What if it's permanent?" she demanded. Naruto had always had crazy amounts of chakra, and he'd always healed insanely fast. If this was permanent- heaven forbid- how could he possibly adjust to being… _normal_?

"But Sakura-chan, I'm already healing faster! Look!" he said, pulling down the collar of his shirt and revealing a startling set of bruises.

"Naruto," she growled. "Why are you showing me your hickies? And you were supposed to be _sleeping_!" she hissed in Sasuke's direction. Just what had those two been up to last night?!

Sasuke shrugged and did not look at all concerned or embarrassed at this.

"They were _so_ much worse this morning, you should have seen what he did to me! He's a _monster_ , Sakura!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. The marks she'd seen on Sasuke- Naruto had no right to complain if Sasuke was getting a little revenge while he wasn't healing instantly!

"So you're healing faster now?" she asked, and he nodded. "Okay, well, I'm not going to do anything about these- I want to see how long they take to heal on their own." At least this explained Sasuke's actions in the forest, picking her up like that- _he'd_ seen that Naruto wasn't healing, whereas Sakura…she'd just assumed that he could take care of himself, like he always did. She was the worst person in the _world_.

Naruto frowned. "But Sakura, can't you get rid of them? It's embarrassing!" Sasuke snorted at that and Naruto shot him a glare.

"We need to test your limits," Sakura said, moving on. "I need to see exactly what you can do, and what it feels like when you hit those walls. We'll go to one of the outer training grounds; no-one should be there."

"At least that'll get me away from _him_ ," Naruto scowled in Sasuke's direction.

"And at least he'll finally get out of my apartment," Sasuke growled back.

" _Hey_!" Naruto exclaimed. "I've left twice, to get food for _you_ , you ungrateful brat! And I took care of you, dammit-"

"Naruto," Sakura interrupted. "We don't have time for this. We should really go to Tsunade or Kakashi right away-"

"No!" Naruto interjected. "No one else!"

She frowned. She could understand if Naruto was feeling anxious about people knowing, but to not go to those who could help….she glanced at Sasuke and he shrugged again.

"He pitched a fit when I said we should call _you_ ," he said. "He threw a tantrum like a two-year-old."

"Why does anyone have to know?!" Naruto said.

"You can't see anything with your sharingan?" Sakura asked Sasuke, ignoring Naruto's outburst.

"Not really," Sasuke answered. "I could tell right away that something was- wrong, but I can't figure out what's causing it."

"We should ask Hinata," Sakura suggested.

"No!" Naruto cried. "No-one else- oh! She's not even in Konoha, so _there_!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Look, I'll see what I can figure out, but I really think that we should-"

"…Sakura," Naruto said, his voice lowering and his expression turning sombre. " _Please_. I don't…just, until we at least know if we can fix it…"

She bit her lip. All of her instincts were telling her to go to Tsunade at once. What could she possibly do? But Naruto looked so…sad. Sakura may not understand his insistence on keeping this secret, but she had to at least try to follow his wishes. This could not be easy for him, not one little bit.

* * *

Naruto knelt panting on the ground, exhausted after having performed just about every jutsu he could under Sakura's careful observation. She was determined to identify his limits as soon as possible, and see if he was having issues with _all_ his techniques.

Which, unfortunately, it seemed he _was_. Even his ability to perform simple skills like walking up trees had been affected. He could still do it, obviously, but it wore him out so much more than it should.

Naruto claimed he'd been able to summon five clones this morning, and now he could summon ten. Yes, okay, that seemed like an improvement- but this was someone who could summon hundreds, if not _thousands_ , of clones without breaking a sweat. And during the war he'd shared chakra with the whole joint forces and _still_ had an abundance left over for his own high-powered attacks.

To see him reduced to this…Sakura was more than a little concerned.

She went over and sat down on the ground in front of him, reaching out to take his hands. "Naruto," she said, speaking to him gently. "This must be…very difficult for you."

He averted his eyes, looking down to the ground. "It's…it's okay, Sakura-chan, you can fix it right? Everything will go back to normal?"

She hesitated. It felt like a _limit_ had been placed on him, like a ceiling or wall, and all the chakra that exceeded this limit had been syphoned away. It was hard to be sure, since he hadn't exactly been going around at full strength these past few weeks, but that limit had probably been slowly pushing down on him ever since he was bitten.

"Well," she began, keeping a tight grip on his hands. "When you say you're healing faster than you were this morning- than yesterday- I believe you. You _are_ getting better. Your limits are getting higher, I can feel it already."

"Really?" Naruto exclaimed, brightening at once and smiling, looking directly at her now. "So it's going away, right? It's gonna fix itself?"

She frowned. "I don't know," she said. "I don't know how high those limits can go. Or exactly what caused it. If I had to guess…it's like you've been _poisoned_."

"So what do I do?"

"For starters, I want to do a blood test. I'm not convinced anything will show up, but I'd like to try anyway. And I want you to start training to push out those limits."

"Training," he repeated.

"Right. Your training has almost always focused on controlling your chakra, but now I want you to focus on _increasing_ your chakra."

"…oh," Naruto said with a frown. "That kind of training? Like…genin do?"

Sakura smiled at that. "Well, _you_ were a genin yourself not too long ago," she pointed out. "I'll show you a few techniques to work on for the next few days, and we'll see if there's any improvement." She had plenty to show him; she'd done them for so many years that she could do them in her sleep.

He nodded reluctantly. "But…but you don't know why it happened? What caused it?"

She sighed. "The attack by the shinobi with the curse seal seems like the best bet," she said hesitantly. "A kind-of toxin in your blood-stream, responding to your chakra. If we could ask Tsunade-"

He instantly tensed and gripped her hands tighter. "Please, Sakura, I just don't-"

"But you're _sick_ , Naruto!" And what if Sakura couldn't fix it by herself?

Naruto paled. "But, if people find out what I did, I-"

What he _did_? What did he mean by that? She frowned. "You didn't do anything, Naruto," she said.

"I did!" he shot back. "I was meant to be protecting Konoha, but I let them all through, they were hiding in the forest right in front of my eyes and I didn't even notice! That has to be what happened, it's the only explanation-"

"-it wasn't your fault," Sakura interrupted, alarmed. "It was ours. It was _everyone_ 's! We underestimated our enemy and we were unprepared!"

He hesitated. "No, _but_ , I should have been able to-"

"Don't, Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed. "This isn't the war, this isn't Pein's attack. You don't have to defend us all yourself, the whole town!"

He frowned. "Sakura…"

"I'm going to teach you these training techniques, and then you're going to practice until you're too exhausted to think. Okay?!"

"…okay," he said, in a small voice.

"And then we have a meeting first thing tomorrow at the tower. We'll re-assess you after that. Understood?"

"…yes, Sakura-chan," he replied.

"Okay. Good boy," she said.

* * *

That night Sakura got the first proper sleep she'd had in days, and yet when she woke the next morning she was still feeling tense and anxious.

She stopped by Sasuke's apartment before work, soothing Sasuke with a promise to send fresh tomatoes, and threatening Suigetsu with severe bodily harm if he continued to annoy Sasuke and Juugo like he had been. _Poor Sasuke_ , she thought to herself. H _ow much longer will they keep him locked up in here?_

Well, that issue would probably come up in today's meeting. She wasn't looking forward to it. It seemed unfortunate that Sakura's appointment to the council would coincide with all these problems, and so many directly concerning her friends. But at least Sasuke had people on his side. She would do what she could to help him.

Sakura had been thrilled when Sasuke had returned to Konoha. It seemed so much better this time, that he'd returned _voluntarily_ , rather than being brought here after his fight with Naruto. She thought it meant he was _choosing_ to be here. And maybe he was…but she was also sure that he'd been reconsidering that decision ever since he'd arrived.

And as frustrating as it had been at times, she'd loved working with Sasuke these past few months- working with the Taka boys, even. It was nothing like how it had been in their old Team 7 days, when she was so far below Naruto and Sasuke that she might as well have not been there. But now it really felt like they were part of a team.

…but still, he just didn't seem… _happy_. And to be honest…she'd sensed more than a little bit of tension coming from the people of Konoha when it came to Sasuke's presence back in their town. As much as she hated to admit it.

"Oh, Sakura-chan," came a voice, and she turned to see Naruto landing on the ground next to her. "Good morning."

She blinked. Her normally vibrant friend seemed…rather sombre this morning. "Good morning, Naruto," she said back, concerned. "You look….exhausted."

Naruto shrugged. "You told me to train until I was too tired to think," he said. "…it took a while, but I did it."

"Hmm," she murmured. "Well, right after the meeting I want to see if it's had any affect. So don't go racing back off to Sasuke once the meeting's over, okay?"

His eyes widened. "Sakura!" he squeaked, turning bright red. "What- what are you saying? You know that Sasuke's still mad at me-"

"That didn't stop you from getting _friendly_ , by the look of those bites from yesterday," she commented dryly. She glanced at his neck and could just see a hint of a bruise below his collar. They were definitely healing at a faster rate than normal, but she'd been hoping they would be completely healed by now.

"Yeah, but-" he began, but then they were interrupted by a series of loud bangs from above.

Sakura gasped and both she and Naruto fell into defensive positions immediately, looking up and searching the sky to find the source of the noise. An attack? _Now_?! How could anyone have possibly gotten through their increased security?

"Naruto!" she cried, her eyes locked on three dark spots moving rapidly across the sky above them. "Are those-"

"They're leaving, whatever they are," Naruto said, crouching close to her as they both tracked the movement of the objects towards the other side of Konoha. "But there's something falling!"

" _Bombs_?" Sakura hissed, standing straight and preparing to move. "We have to stop them!"

From above them they could now see hundreds of small, flat white objects falling to the ground- _drifting_ to the ground. Sakura narrowed her eyes, squinting and trying her best to identify what they were.

"It's just _paper_ ," Naruto said with a frown, and he jumped up the side of a building to grab one of the objects as they fell.

"Naruto, _don't_!" Sakura called, wincing as he did so; did he have to be so _reckless_ , touching something without even knowing what it was?!

Naruto landed next to her and held it out. "Plain paper, I think, totally normal!"

A small bit of tension disappeared at his words; the civilians of Konoha might not be in danger, then! The two of them gazed down at what indeed looked like ordinary, white paper, covered in stark black text.

 _Return Sasuke Uchiha to us_ , the paper read, _or we will come back and take him by force. Next time we will leave no survivors._

Sakura and Naruto stared at each other in shock, and Sakura felt her whole body run cold with dread.

* * *

 _Coming up next: Konoha and Naruto react to this new crisis and the author starts to wonder if she's pushing our boys too far._

A/N: *mutters* Jeez, Sasuke just can't catch a break, can he. What the hell kind of person is writing this awful fic? …*cough*

So! We got a lot of answers in this chapter- well, kind-of, anyway! Some of you guessed the curse seal, congrats! And now our sunshine boy is all upset. He's got a lot of training to do, to get back up to full strength!

Thanks for all your comments as usual, keep 'em coming and FEED ME as I push through our last ten chapters!


	35. Kindling

**Kindling (Naruto's POV)**

 _In which Konoha and Naruto react to this new crisis and the author starts to wonder if she's pushing our boys too far._

* * *

Naruto felt completely numb. _Hundreds_ of those treacherous white papers had fallen all over Konoha, and he had seen with his own eyes people gathering them up and reading the words- _believing_ the words. Each time was like another knife stabbing into him, a piercing reminder that people- _his_ people- were all too willing to accept what was written there. To believe that Sasuke belonged to _ryuu_ , to the enemy that had just attacked their town; to believe that Konoha would be attacked again and again, until Sasuke was returned to them.

He sat at the council table gazing in despair at the arguments and allegations currently swirling around the room. Clan heads argued with elders; accusations at Anbu incompetence flew in the direction of Yamato and Sai. Naruto watched as Ino swore ferociously that Sasuke had saved their lives; Shikamaru tried to subdue her.

But Naruto himself had gone past feeling miserable and helpless, past feeling frustrated and angry. Past any desire to fight back. He was just…numb.

Sakura reached out under the table from her place next to him and gripped his hand. "Good, Naruto," she murmured, her voice barely audible with all the noise in the room. "Don't get mad. Let them have their say, and then we'll take care of Sasuke."

Naruto winced. He knew very well he wasn't _restraining_ himself or keeping down his feelings of anger. He just couldn't do it any more. How many years had he been fighting for the people of Konoha to accept Sasuke? This was Sasuke's _home_ , these were his _people_ , and they'd abandoned him.

Is this what it would always be like if he stayed here? Naruto had seen how hard Sasuke had been working at the tower, all those massive stacks of paperwork he was always doing. He had brains, he was smart- the things he and Shikamaru were doing, well, Naruto had no idea how to do any of _that_. And if Sasuke hadn't crossed the wall during the attack, Chouji would be dead. Naruto had no doubt of that. And yet. And yet…every time anything went wrong, any time Sasuke's past with Orochimaru or Akatsuki came up, these people would be here to condemn him. They'd never let him forget the things he'd done.

Could this all have really been a mistake? Sasuke was his dearest friend- _more_ than a friend; no-one was more important to him. But maybe Sasuke could never be happy in a place like this…and Naruto had dragged him back here himself.

 _How could I have done that to him_? Naruto thought; _I'm meant to be his_ _ **friend**_ _._

Through all the chaos in the room only himself, Sakura, and Kakashi were sitting quietly. Naruto glanced over the table and saw his teacher gazing back at him. Naruto wondered how on earth Kakashi could do anything to quell such feelings of hatred and distrust against their old teammate. What could _any_ of them do?

Kakashi turned to Yamato next to him and made a sign, and then the uniformed head of Anbu stood and moved smoothly to the entrance of the council room. He brought the heavy wooden doors closed with a _boom_ that reverberated through the room with a tremor and an echo.

The sudden noise cut through the fighting and created a brief moment of calm in which the Hokage stood at the head of the table, and silence fell on everyone in the room at once.

The Hokage turned to the three elders, still standing by the door. "If you could take your seats," he spoke to them in a soft, low voice, "I will begin the meeting."

The elders exchanged glances and Naruto tensed at the way they were staring at Kakashi. But eventually, mercifully, they sat down at the table. At this cue, all the other council members still standing in various parts of the room also came to their seats.

Naruto shivered. All Kakashi had done was close a door and say one sentence, and look what had happened. That had been…impressive. He glanced at Sakura next to him and gripped her hand tighter under the table. She nodded at him and gave him a brief smile.

"I appreciate your attendance at such a busy time," Kakashi said. "The papers in front of you outline the current status of Anbu's investigations of the attack. Please read them carefully at your earliest convenience. There will be another council meeting in this week to finalise plans for eliminating _ryuu_ once and for all."

Naruto glanced down at the thick stack of papers in front of him stamped _confidential_. A pang of anxiety ran through him at the thought of what he might find in there.

"Hokage-sama," said an elder, and all heads turned to the voice. "The Uchiha boy has been working at the tower- in your own office- for months, with virtually unrestricted access. If these allegations of his alliance with _ryuu_ are correct, surely you agree that the results would be catastrophic."

"No-one's saying he has an alliance with them!" Ino scowled from her place at the table, rising in her seat. "Who the hell is saying those things?!"

Naruto felt a vague sense of gratitude towards her for saying such things, but he wasn't sure there was much point. Shikamaru shot her a look and she glared back at him, but eventually she sat back down, continuing to scowl over at the elders.

"Shikamaru," the Hokage said, turning to his assistant. "Could you outline Sasuke's duties here at the tower, and the responsibilities he has been entrusted with?"

Shikamaru nodded, and cleared his throat. "His main duties are with his team in the archives, of course, working with Sakura and the Anbu technical and medical teams. He also spends the equivalent of three working days a week in the Hokage's office, with duties similar to mine. He has a particularly good eye for categorising outgoing and completed missions."

The elders all exchanged glances and there was more than one surprised expression on the faces of the clan heads at this news. Well, not everyone in the council was at the tower all that much, to see just how often Sasuke was here.

"But surely his access to sensitive data has been restricted," the Hyuuga head declared.

Shikamaru gazed steadily back at the imposing man who was more than twice his age. "Sasuke has proved more valuable to the tower when less restrictions are placed on him," he said, his voice steady and unperturbed despite all the people staring at him so critically. "Currently our work on establishing the Shinobi Union and reforming the chuunin training procedures are stretching our capacities. We _need_ talented administrators to stay on top of everything, and Sasuke has proved immensely capable."

The ferocious head of the Inuzaka slammed her hands on the table. "He could be siphoning all that information to our enemies as we speak!" There was a murmur of agreement throughout the room.

"Yamato?" Kakashi said, with a nod towards the head of Anbu.

"There is no evidence of any communication between Sasuke's team and the _ryuu_ agents before, during, or after the attack," Yamato said in response to the Hokage's nod. "Nor with any other organisation or village. All their work on the archives and in the tower is supervised by numerous Anbu agents."

"That's hardly good enough," one of the elders said. "It's said that the large boy can communicate directly with animals. How could even Anbu monitor that kind of ability?"

"It is worrisome indeed, if you have lost faith in Anbu," Kakashi said to that, in his smooth and low voice. There was a glimmer of annoyance from the elder at these words- at the Hokage's implication that the elders were questioning, _doubting_ , Konoha's most elite forces. Naruto noticed Sakura grin cheekily at that.

Yamato paused for a moment before continuing his report. "Sasuke and his two companions made no attempt to leave the village until Konoha was under attack. The first death at the hands of the _ryuu_ shinobi had already occurred before they crossed the wall. Their efforts directly resulted in the deaths of at least 12 enemies and the apprehension of 5 more."

"That is welcome news," spoke Shikamaru's uncle, the current head of the Nara clan. "And can we judge the three of them to be loyal to Konoha?"

"Sai," Kakashi murmured.

"None of the three have affiliations or emotional links with any organisation or village besides Konoha," Sai stated smoothly. "Indeed, their strongest feelings of loyalty at the moment are for Konoha only. These feelings can be easily encouraged and their loyalty strengthened."

The elders evidently doubted this. "The Mist boy-" one of them interjected.

"The Hidden Mist authorises express no desire in repatriating Hozouki whatsoever," Sai interrupted, raising his voice slightly. Naruto stared at his normally nonchalant friend, seemingly defending Sasuke's place in this town. "Their motivations for crossing the wall were only to prevent the _ryuu_ agents from reaching Konoha and to protect Konoha's people."

"Sakura," Kakashi said, and Sakura jolted in her seat next to Naruto. "Could you outline the work that you and Sasuke's team have been doing, and what kind of items are in the archives?"

She nodded. "The…the archives cover everything that Orochimaru and his organisation did. There are records and experiment data, specimens, scrolls, outlines of jutsus and techniques."

"And if this archive fell into enemy hands?" the Hokage prompted.

"It would be disastrous," Sakura went on. "The resurrection techniques used in the war were one of Orochimaru's designs, and details of how to recreate these techniques- and others just as powerful- are recorded quite clearly in the archives."

There was another ripple of consternation around the table at this revelation. Naruto vaguely wondered what kind of information about curse seals could be found in the archives.

"Surely these should be destroyed!" the Inuzaka matriarch declared, and there was a murmur of agreement from the council.

"That would be unwise," Yamato interjected. "Even now the records are aiding us in our investigations of the attack. And we have reasons to believe that the remnants of the Akatsuki are also using methods they learned from Orochimaru."

Naruto tensed again. How could they have so many enemies left after what they had been through in the war? After so many people had _died_ to bring peace to Konoha? This wasn't what they had fought for.

"The Tower has determined that Sasuke and his team have loyalties only to Konoha, and that their work should continue," Kakashi declared, sitting forward at the table and drawing the attention of the whole council. "They will remain guarded for their own safety- and for no other reason- until the threats against them have been resolved."

"That's hardly reassuring-" an elder began to say.

"It will have to reassure you, for now," the Hokage interrupted, standing. "The council is dismissed until each member has read the contents of this report."

Naruto blinked. Kakashi was _dismissing_ them? They'd been here for less than an hour! And based on the expressions of the other council members, he wasn't the only one surprised.

"Hokage-sama-" the Hyuuga head began.

"Yes?" Kakashi said, his voice calm, his gaze steady.

Naruto was terrified.

"…when will the next meeting be?" the Hyuuga continued.

"You'll all be notified," Kakashi said to that.

And with that, he stood and moved out of the room, with Shikamaru following closely behind.

After a moment of stunned silence, the council members began conversing with each other in low, hushed tones. Naruto pushed back to his chair, got to his feet, and headed for the door.

* * *

Naruto arrived at Sasuke's apartment with Sakura following closely behind him, clutching Sasuke's copy of the report to pass on to him. Naruto looked back at her, feeling discontent. He wanted to talk to Sasuke _alone_. He-

"Don't worry, Naruto, I'm going to help you, okay?" she said, returning his look. She pushed through the guards by Sasuke's front door- the chuunin were back, it seemed- not even acknowledging their existence, and barged into his apartment like she owned the place.

 _…yes, that's how you get stuff done_ , Naruto thought in the back of his mind, taking mental notes.

Naruto followed her inside and then he was back in chaos once more. Clothes and food packets and empty bags were flying around everywhere, and Sasuke was shouting at Suigetsu to _clean this damn mess up already_! Naruto winced at the noise and clung to the wall by the entrance.

"It wasn't our _choice_ to get stuck here, you know!" Suigetsu shouted across the room, throwing an empty ramen cup at Sasuke's head.

"Oh right!" Sasuke yelled back, dodging the cardboard cup, "eating _all_ my food, messing up _all_ my futons, _destroying_ my living room-"

"Your food was lousy anyway!" Suigetsu shrieked at that.

Well, _that_ was just rude; Naruto had bought most of that food, and Juugo had cooked it, so how was _this_ for gratitude?! Naruto looked past them into the kitchen, were Juugo himself looked like he was trying to disappear into the floor.

Sakura stormed over to the shark-toothed boy and snatched the ripped cushion he was holding out of his hands. " _Enough_!" she declared, and her voice boomed and echoed through the apartment. "You!" she scowled at him, before turning her attention to Juugo, "and you! _Out_ , now! I'm taking you next door this instant!"

"I'm not going anywhere-" Suigetsu began, but Sakura just grabbed his arm and forcibly manoeuvred him out of the living room and towards the door.

"Juugo!" she hollered in the direction of the kitchen. " _Now_!"

Naruto jumped out of the way as Sakura pushed Suigetsu out the front door, closely followed by an ever obedient Juugo.

"You damn well better have yogurt at your place!" he heard Suigetsu shriek before Sakura slammed the front door, leaving him and Sasuke alone.

…alone. He stared over at his dark-haired friend, and Sasuke stared back. _Glared_ back, actually. Naruto wilted against the entrance wall once more, and wondered if it were too late to leave. This was clearly a bad time…but no, _someone_ had to tell Sasuke what had happened, and make sure he knew that he had people on his side.

Sasuke turned away and stormed across his living room, reaching down to grab at all the empty snack containers and shoving them in a rubbish bag. "If you insist on staying, dead-last, you better at least help me clean up this dump!" he demanded.

Naruto's eyes widened. Sasuke wasn't kicking him out? He wasn't gonna kill him for daring to come back here? In that case the flyer from _ryuu_ could wait. Naruto went over to the kitchen at once.

"Okay, I'm gonna wash the dishes alright, Sasuke?" he said, clearing the sink of junk and turning on the tap. Every surface of the kitchen was covered in dirty plates and bowls, so this should keep him busy for a while, long enough to quell his nerves and build up his courage again.

"Whatever," Sasuke muttered, coming over and dumping a fistful of cutlery into the soapy water and sending bubbles flying everywhere. "I can't stand this mess anymore!"

It occurred to Naruto that Sasuke should probably be resting- his cheeks were still too pink, and his eyes were still hazy- but there was no way that _he_ would be the one to tell Sasuke to go back to bed. No way! He turned his attention to the sink and started scrubbing furiously. Sasuke's plates would soon be the cleanest they had _ever_ been!

While he washed he kept an eye on Sasuke as he stomped through the apartment, hurling armfuls of sheets and futons up the hallway to the laundry, and dumping piles and piles of rubbish by the door. Every time he found another ripped cushion, scratch in the wood floor or stain on a rug he swore. Naruto had no idea that Sasuke knew so many profanities. It was… _terrifying_.

Once the dishes were done and put away Naruto turned to the kitchen table, which was still covered in magazines and loose papers. He could see an abundance of childish little scribbles in crayon of sharks biting off bird heads and monsters with red eyes terrorising children. He quickly scooped these up and disposed of them, though he was certain Sasuke had already seen them- there were even some stuck to the fridge.

 _He's quite an artist_ , Naruto thought to himself as he gathered up Suigetsu's drawings. _We should start keeping crayons away from him_.

And then Naruto's hands landed on a familiar piece of white paper and his blood ran cold. … _oh no_ , he thought, _no! How could this be in here?!_ He glanced over at Sasuke and found the raven-haired boy staring back at him steadily, arms folded across his chest. He froze.

"Yeah, of course I've seen it!" Sasuke declared with a ferocious scowl. "As if I care! People can say whatever the _hell_ they like-"

"There's people defending you, Sasuke," Naruto quickly interrupted, thinking about Ino's words, and supressing his own guilt for not having said a single thing during the meeting.

Sasuke paused and narrowed his eyes. "What's the point? The town's ready to crucify me again, aren't they? Send me back to my people? I'm just _shocked_ , really!"

Naruto winced at the sarcasm and derision in his friend's voice. But no matter what Sasuke said, seeing this kind of thing, knowing that people- your own people- _believed_ it…no, that was horrible, it had to be painful.

"Kakashi-sensei shot them all down, Sasuke, he's not putting up with anyone saying that this is true," Naruto said, waving the paper around. Then he stared at it in disgust and crumpled it up before adding it to the trash piles by the door.

"Doesn't matter what they think," Sasuke muttered. "It's not like I was planning to stay here, anyway."

Naruto frowned. Sasuke said stuff like that all the time, he shouldn't take it seriously. He'd come back here of his own free will this time, it was his choice. That had to mean something.

"It just takes time," Naruto began, "and people are getting used to you being back here! You can't-"

"I came back here because I had a job to do," Sasuke interrupted. "Now it's almost over, and then I can go wherever I want, whenever I want!"

No, Naruto couldn't believe that. He'd come back here just to work on those damn archives? No. If that was true, he wouldn't have been spending so much time at the tower doing the Hokage's paperwork. He didn't get paid for that, Shikamaru told him so! And when he wasn't working he was with Sakura and their other friends; he even trained with Lee. He was building a life here, Naruto knew it!

It just…it just couldn't have been a complete mistake to bring him back here. To _want_ him to be here.

"Sasuke, Konoha is your home," Naruto said. "If you don't belong here, where else do you belong?"

"It's not!" Sasuke retorted. "You need to move on, Naruto, how long has this idea been stuck in your head? Four years? Longer?"

Naruto growled under his breath. "I won't apologise for being worried about you, for trying to bring you home!"

Sasuke shot him a deadly glare. "But it's _not_ -"

"-not your home," Naruto interjected, "yeah yeah, you keep saying that, but-"

"How can you be so obsessed with Konoha?!" Sasuke shot at him. "You and I know better than anyone what this place is really like!"

…that stopped Naruto up short. He knew better than anyone? What did Sasuke mean by _that_?

"That's not fair," he said. "Konoha may not be perfect, I know that, but it's still great, the people here, my _friends_ -"

Sasuke scoffed. "I can't tell if you're being naïve or stupid," he scorned. "Or are you deliberately repressing your entire childhood? What Konoha did to you? To _me_? We were orphans, Naruto!"

"Konoha is my _home_ , Sasuke," he said, and winced at the hurt and pain in his own voice. No, he couldn't let Sasuke get to him like this, he just couldn't.

"Why? Why is it your _home_?" demanded Sasuke, obviously seeing his chance. "Because you were _born_ here? What a stroke of luck that was! Who was your family, Naruto, who cared for you? Konoha never did _anything_ for you!"

"That- that's not true," Naruto fought back, weakly. His childhood was not a time he liked to remember. It was cruel of Sasuke to bring it up now. "They- I had an apartment, and clothes, and-"

"And what, a monthly visit from the Hokage with an envelope of cash, and a warning not to spend it all at once? They _hated_ you! They ostracised you. They would have thrown you out if they could have!"

No, they were scared of kyuubi, that's all. Of course they were, their village was nearly destroyed by him, all those people had died! They didn't understand, they didn't know that Naruto was just a _kid_ , they didn't know how _lonely_ he was.

"But- but I _belong_ here now, Sasuke!" Naruto said, "I have friends, the whole village is my family, and they-"

"Ah, they call you hero and they name a ramen after you on your birthday. So that makes everything better, does it? And when they find out there's something wrong with you? What _then_?"

Naruto was horrified to feel little pricks at the corner of his eyes. He thought back to Konoha all decked out in orange for his birthday. He couldn't take one step without someone stopping him to wish him a happy day or shove a present in his hand. Even on a normal day, people smiled at him, they laughed with him, children climbed all over him. He was finally _loved_.

"Why are you saying all this?" Naruto whimpered. The hate in Sasuke's voice was unbearable; it cut right into him. "I worked hard to fit in here, I worked harder than anyone! You can't- you can't just take that away from me…"

"I'm not taking it away from you, moron, no-one could tear your precious Konoha out of your idiot brain!" Sasuke shot with a glare. "But _I_ don't want any of that. It's worthless. This town has no decency at all!"

"That's not _true_! You'd see that if you gave everyone a chance. If you just-"

"What would be the point? The next time papers like that fall from the sky I'll be an enemy again. What then?"

"So what, that's it? You're giving up, leaving again? What about- what about your _friends_ , what about…about…" _About_ _ **me**_ _,_ he wanted to say. _You're gonna leave me again? After what we've been through?_

"I never planned on staying here," Sasuke declared, a firm expression on his face.

 _You are_ _ **lying**_ _!_ Naruto thought to himself, and all his hurt and anxiety was replaced with a burning rage in an instant. How dare he?!

"Leave, then!" Naruto hissed. "Leave the only place you've ever belonged! The place your family helped build, the place where all the people who care about you live-"

"You just don't get it," Sasuke interrupted, scowling. "I thought you'd understand, if I just gave you time. But even with you back at genin-strength, maybe permanently, you still think you can be happy in Konoha!"

"That's got nothing to do with this!" Naruto exclaimed. "Why would you bring that up?! That was low, Sasuke, you're meant to be my _friend_ -"

"Am I," he muttered.

" _Yes_ ," Naruto growled. "Even though you're the worst, shittiest friend in the whole _world_!" And with that he turned and stomped past him to the front door and slammed it behind him.

* * *

 _Coming up next:_ _Naruto finds himself at Sasuke's apartment in the middle of the night yet again, but is it to fight some more, to make up, or to fight some more and THEN make up?!_

A/N: Sometimes I have to remind myself every 2 minutes that Sasuke's only lashing out at Naruto because he knows that Naruto cares about him _ . But still! Sasukins, you deserve a time-out for your words in this chapter! (*cough* even if he makes a valid point about Naruto and Konoha) (*pulls Naru in for a protective huggle*)


	36. Ignite

**Ignite (Naruto's POV)**

 _In which Naruto finds himself at Sasuke's apartment in the middle of the night yet again, but is it to fight some more, to make up, or to fight some more and THEN make up?!_

A/N: Hi guys! I've been hard at work writing like a maniac and I'm almost finished this whole fic! After this update we'll have eight chapters to go, and then the epilogue, for a total of **44 chapters**.

Since we're getting close to the ending, things are really heating up. *cough* Literally. **So, NSFW warning for this chapter! It's been SO LONG!**

 **I repeat, NSFW incoming!**

* * *

Naruto was beyond furious and he poured all of his anger into his training. But after three hours and the deaths of several dozen perfectly innocent trees, he was only _slightly_ less angry. Sasuke could go ahead and feel whatever he liked for Konoha, that was his right, but to imply that _Naruto_ didn't belong here either?! That was crossing a line! Konoha was his _home_ , he had been born here, he had trained here, he had given his whole self to keeping this village safe. Didn't he deserve to feel like he belonged, at _last_?

Sasuke was lashing out. He was obviously hurt, but he had to realise that not everyone believed those stupid flyers. They couldn't! Everyone knew what Sasuke had done in the war, that he'd saved them all, and he'd never asked for any kind of recognition. Yeah, there were a few bad apples in town, a few _loud_ apples voicing their stupid unfounded suspicions. They were just scared of the unknown. To hell with them!

Naruto called up two clones and charged at the tallest tree left in the clearing. " _Rasengan_!" he cried, and in an instant the tree and its immediate surroundings had been obliterated with a satisfying boom and an explosion of smoke.

The two clones cheered and high-fived each other, looking very pleased with themselves.

"No cheering!" Naruto ordered. "That was _nothing_! Less than a mini-rasengan! We're gonna do this all night if we have to!"

The clones instantly fell to the ground and started whining like children. Naruto rolled his eyes. Did other people have these problems? His clones were so _annoying_!

"And what did that tree do to deserve such treatment?" came Sakura's voice, and Naruto whirled around.

"It was in the way," Naruto said with a pout. "All the trees must go."

"You should find something a little sturdier to take your anger out on," Sakura suggested. "A mountain, perhaps."

Yeah, well, maybe Naruto _could_ have blown up a mountain back when he was _normal_. …a small mountain, anyway. But he doubted he could blow up much of anything in _this_ state.

"It's a good thing you're not at full-strength or the whole forest would be in danger!" Sakura went on with a quick grin.

"Don't be mean," Naruto scowled. "I'm gonna be back to normal in no time, see if I'm not! I've had _enough_ of this, I swear!" He might have been feeling helpless about it all before, but that was done and gone, he was going to smash through this problem and prove himself!

"You're stronger already," Sakura informed him. "You've pushed your limits higher since yesterday."

Naruto's eyes widened and he felt more of his anger fade away. " _Really_?" he exclaimed. "Really, Sakura-chan? You mean it?"

"I do," she said. "That's the good news. The _bad_ news is that your blood test hasn't revealed anything conclusive yet. I'm running some more though. Some more…. _obscure_ tests."

"Oh," Naruto said. And he'd had such high hopes that Sakura would have an answer for him right away. "…but, if I'm improving, I can just keep on improving until I get back to normal, right?"

"Well," Sakura said with a small frown. "Maybe. But practically speaking, if normal for you was one hundred, then this toxin- if that's what it was- has pushed you down to a _fifty_ , and now you've clawed your way back up to fifty-five…"

Naruto's heart sunk. "Okay so that's, um, whatever one hundred minus fifty-five is to go…" Math wasn't exactly his strong point, but that wasn't too much, was it? If he trained really hard, every day? It's not like he had anything else to do. It's not like he'd be hanging out with Sasuke any time soon. He might as well blow up some more trees.

"Now I know you probably just want to push on and train until you pass out," Sakura said, "but you really should be careful. Remember, if you get injured you won't just bounce back like you usually do!"

Naruto frowned. Yeah, he knew that, obviously. He wasn't gonna get hurt, okay?!

"Alright, I'll be careful," he said. "…I'll just train for a little longer."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "One more hour. And I'll stop by your apartment this evening to make sure you're at home resting. Understood?"

…ah. She was going to check on him. But maybe he could just train in his apartment, or maybe go out again after she was gone…yes, he was going to get as much training in today as physically possible!

"Yes, Sakura-chan, I understand," Naruto said, giving her his most earnest, trustworthy look.

She rolled her eyes and punched his shoulder. "Yeah, sure," she said. "I'll see you in a few hours."

* * *

As it turned out, after another hour of training Naruto's body was _screaming_ and he was more exhausted than he'd been in a long time. He had to practically crawl back home to his apartment and into the shower, groaning as he let the hot water pour over his aching muscles.

… _maybe Sakura knows what she's talking about_ , Naruto mused to himself as he lay on his bed looking up at the ceiling. He'd planned on getting in another training session after dinner, but maybe…maybe he should rest.

Well, maybe he'd feel differently after a nap. Yes, he'd train more after a nap.

* * *

When he woke again it was pitch-black in his room and he was hurting all over. He groaned and rolled onto his side, noticing a slip of paper next to his pillow. _Good boy_ , it read, _love Sakura_.

He scowled. So he'd rested, big deal. Now that he was _awake_ , he should do some more training…what time was it? Ah. Three in the morning. …well.

He was still feeling _exhausted_ , and he was pretty sure he could fall straight back asleep right now. Mm, but something was pulling at the back of his mind; something had woken him up. What was it? A noise of some kind?

…no, it was…Sasuke.

Naruto pushed himself up and sat on his bed, concentrating hard. What was the bastard doing now? Naruto could feel a regular thrum of chakra sparking in his mind, like someone was beating on a drum, softly but steadily inside his head. It was too strange to ignore.

He sat there for several more minutes and the pattern of the chakra didn't change. What on earth was he doing?! And why couldn't he cut it out? Naruto was trying to _sleep_ here! He wouldn't get any rest with this racket!

He scowled and got up out of bed, and pulled on a reasonably clean shirt. He'd just have to go and give that bastard a piece of his mind, _honestly_ , waking him up in the middle of the night like this- what _nerve_!

Naruto was still feeling sluggish and sore as he leapt over the rooftops through a fine, misting rain, so it took him a little longer than usual to reach Sasuke's apartment. Long enough for all his fury with that guy to re-ignite. The things he'd said to him! And all Naruto had been doing was trying to _help_. That's all he ever did, help Sasuke, be concerned about Sasuke. And what did he get in return?! Oh, he was _really_ going to give him a piece of his mind!

…but as soon as he landed on Sasuke's balcony, all that anger melted away in an instant.

There was Sasuke, sitting slumped against the wall of his apartment, looking blank and empty. The last time he'd been here, Sasuke had been furious and on the attack. But now…now he just seemed _dead_. Naruto crouched on the railing and watched as he continued to send out little mini-chidoris into the night, the blue sparks fizzing in the rain and illuminating his pale face.

Well, that explained the chakra. Sasuke glanced up and did not seem at all surprised to see Naruto crouching there in the dark, like it was perfectly normal for him to show up in the middle of the night.

Realization hit him like a ton of bricks. This chidori routine…the jerk had been _summoning_ him!

"You _called_?" Naruto muttered, a little ticked off to be sent for in this manner.

Sasuke just kept gazing at him, but lowered his hand now after sending off just one more chidori for good measure.

Naruto sighed and landed neatly on the balcony itself, and took a few steps towards his miserable-looking friend. "What's wrong, Sasuke?" he spoke softly, reaching his hands down to help him up.

Sasuke didn't respond, but he also didn't resist when Naruto reached down further and grabbed his wrists, hauling him to his feet anyway.

"Look, I'm sorry that we fought before, but you have to admit that you were being a real A-grade bastard, on _purpose_!" Naruto said, still gripping Sasuke's wrists hard. He felt like if he let go, Sasuke would just fade away into thin air.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and looked down at the ground. "…yeah," he murmured, his voice barely audible.

Naruto blinked. What? He was _admitting_ it?! That had to be the closest thing to an apology he'd ever gotten from this guy! "Ah but, you were upset!" Naruto quickly said back. "I know that, even if you'll deny it! It was a low move for these guys to drop those flyers all over town. _They're_ the ones we should be angry at!"

"...yeah," Sasuke said to that.

Naruto was overwhelmed. This was amazing! Quick, he had to see what else he could get out of him before whatever spell he was under wore off! "Sasuke, are you still sick? You need help with something? I'm here now, so-"

Sasuke twisted his wrists in Naruto's hands and firmly pulled them away from his grasp. He shook his head. "I don't know why I called you," he murmured, still looking down. "I just couldn't…sleep."

Naruto reached out to lay a finger very gently on Sasuke's forehead, just for a moment, and then pulled it back away. "You don't have a fever anymore," he said, "but if you stay out in the rain, you- _hey_!" he squeaked, when all of a sudden Sasuke stepped closer towards him and wrapped his arms around his waist.

"Stop talking," Sasuke ordered, resting his head on Naruto's shoulder.

"What are you _doing_?!" Naruto exclaimed, his whole body tensing up at the sudden and very unexpected feel of Sasuke wrapped around him.

"Whatever the hell I want to do," Sasuke hissed, very softly, into Naruto's chest. "Got a problem with that?"

"Um," Naruto said. "Well…" _Did_ he have a problem with it?! After all, Sasuke felt very, very nice here in his arms, and he'd come to him willingly, even called Naruto to his apartment, and he wasn't even feverish!

Still, there were probably Anbu watching, so…

"Well," he began again, and Sasuke looked straight at him and glared, probably anticipating what he was about to say. "Well, this is very nice, really, but I'm not sure it's the smartest idea to be-"

And then he was soundly interrupted by Sasuke kissing him hard and cutting him off. All coherent thought flew out of his mind in an _instant,_ and _s_ illy ideas about what was _smart_ and what was not faded right away. Naruto gasped the sudden and unexpected kiss, freezing up, but it wasn't long before his body took over from his mind and he took Sasuke's face in his hands and kissed him back.

"Sa-Sasuke!" Naruto gasped when Sasuke pulled away; he was shocked beyond belief. It had been so _long_ since they'd done this! And just out of nowhere like that, what had gotten in to him?! Hadn't they been at each other's throats just a few hours ago?!

" _What_ ," Sasuke growled, with a sulky frown. "You said it was up to me. So I can do it whenever I want!"

…okay, he had a point there. Naruto _had_ said it was up to him, though this wasn't exactly how he'd meant it at the time.

"Ah," Naruto said to that. "Yes, true." Suddenly he grinned. Oh, that had felt _fantastic_! Suddenly all his problems didn't seem nearly so bad. Had he been tired just before now? Sore? Feeling kind-of down? Nope, not anymore! "Yes, but now that you've made the first move…"

Naruto leaned down and quickly pecked Sasuke's cute little nose before attacking his mouth again, this time deepening the kiss and circling his own arms around Sasuke's back to pull him closer. He bit down softly on Sasuke's bottom lip until he gasped and opened his mouth. Naruto grinned against him and ran his tongue over his lips before moving in. How could he have forgotten just how _delicious_ Sasuke tasted?

Sasuke moved to grip Naruto's waist and pushed him back until he hit the railing, and then pressed the whole length of his body tight up against Naruto's. Naruto felt him slip his hands down the back of his pants and he gasped at the sudden feel of Sasuke's cold hands on his bare skin.

" _Hey_!" he squeaked, pulling back. Sasuke had him properly pinned against the railing and that felt _great_ , but still- "You- _mph_!"

He was cut off when Sasuke kissed him again, and a tiny voice in Naruto's head wondered why on earth this was happening _now_. They had both been so _angry_ , Sasuke must be really upset right now, and-

-ah. And what did Sasuke do when he was upset? He looked for a _distraction_.

Naruto pulled back again and placed a hand on Sasuke's cheek to keep him at bay. "Sasuke," he said, angling his face away when Sasuke tried to capture his mouth again. Naruto ran his fingers along his jaw and felt something inside him ache at the misery in Sasuke's eyes. "What's wrong, really? You can talk to me, you know…"

Sasuke's eyes widened and then narrowed, taking on a dangerous glint. "I don't want to _talk_ ," he growled under his breath, pressing against him and rolling his hips forward to show Naruto just what he _did_ want to do.

"Yeah, I know," Naruto said to that, suppressing a whimper at the feel of Sasuke pushing against him like that. Someone had to be the responsible one here. He brought his other hand up to the top of Sasuke's head, gently running his fingers through his silk-like hair. "You just want me to distract you."

" _So_?" Sasuke scowled, ducking out from Naruto's hands and looking away.

So, well, that wasn't- and they shouldn't just…because tomorrow when they woke up he'd just…

Naruto sighed. As if he'd ever be able to resist this guy, really. And…and he really _was_ upset. He was so tense in Naruto's arms, with a slight tremor running through him. Naruto tucked a hand under Sasuke's jaw and angled his face back up, leaning down to nuzzle his nose. "It's okay, Sasuke," he murmured.

Sasuke tensed even further but gradually, slowly, he relaxed as Naruto pressed light little kisses into his cheeks and along his jawline, and tangled his fingers gently through his hair. "Naruto…" Sasuke whined, his voice low and needy.

"Look how long your hair is getting, Sasuke," Naruto said, moving to his ear and nipping an earlobe. "…I like it..."

Sasuke made a low rumbling noise in his throat and Naruto knew his patience wouldn't hold out much longer. Besides, he was one hundred percent certain there were numerous Anbu agents watching them right now…not that they hadn't seen worse.

So he stepped away and slid open the door, taking Sasuke's hand and pulling him inside and through the kitchen to his bedroom.

 _Well, here we are again_ , Naruto thought to himself, staring down at Sasuke's bed, _I_ -

-and then he didn't have any more time to think as Sasuke pushed him down into the bed and seated himself on his hips, pinning his arms to the mattress and kissing him hard.

Yes, _this_ was how Sasuke liked to play. Naruto groaned as Sasuke rolled his hips downwards and bit his bottom lip before moving down to his throat. Except that now in his weakened state, Naruto would bare the evidence of just what Sasuke liked to do to him. He bit back another groan at that thought as Sasuke picked a spot against his throat and bit down.

…but hang on, _he_ was supposed to be in charge here! Wasn't _he_ the one meant to be doing the distracting?! Naruto ran his hands up Sasuke's thighs to his hips and gripped hard, enjoying the feel of Sasuke on top of him for just a moment more before tipping him off and switching their positions.

He grinned down at the look of surprise on Sasuke's face, and leaned over to kiss his forehead. "That's better," he said.

"I was going to really mark you the time," Sasuke pouted, trying to push himself back up to reach Naruto's throat. "Just let me-"

"No," Naruto interrupted, quickly peeling off his shirt and Sasuke's as well before pushing the dark-haired boy back down into the mattress. He felt a rush of white-hot heat rip through him at the sight of Sasuke half-naked below him and he had to take a moment to catch his breath, suddenly feeling dizzy.

Sasuke grinned at that and wriggled a little under him. "What's wrong, dead-last?" he teased, raising his hips just slightly.

Naruto scowled and poked his tongue out in retaliation. " _Nothing_ ," he said back. "Just you wait!"

He kissed his way down Sasuke's throat and into the dip below his collarbone, running his tongue along Sasuke's skin and savouring the soft and silky feel that he'd missed for so long. He wasn't sure now how he'd even _survived_ being away from him! He nipped down the centre of his chest, just light enough to not draw blood or leave bruises- he'd had enough of _that_ these past few days. They should try something _different_ for a change!

Sasuke shifted under him and moaned when Naruto finally reached a nipple and drew his tongue around it before sucking it into his mouth with relish, taking his time before moving onto the next one. It had been so long. He didn't want to leave an _inch_ of Sasuke's body untouched.

Even now, though, he could sense Sasuke's impatience, how tightly wound his was, that shiver that went through him every time Naruto moved just a little further south. _Too bad_ , he thought. _I have no intention of rushing this_.

He ran his hands just lightly down Sasuke's sides and back up again, once, twice, before moving to the top of his pants and gently tugging them down- just an inch, just a little bit. Sasuke immediately brought his own hands down to help out but Naruto swatted them right away. He took his time, running his tongue along the edge of the fabric where it met Sasuke's skin before pulling them down just a little more.

Sasuke let out a frustrated noise. " _Naruto_ ," he whined, arching upwards and circling his hips. _Well, fine then_ , Naruto thought; _if you insist!_ He snatched the rest of his pants down and off his legs in a single, smooth movement and Sasuke gasped in surprise.

But Naruto wasn't ready to speed things up _completely_. He tossed Sasuke's pants off the bed but left his own in place, despite how tight they were beginning to feel. Tonight wasn't about _him_. He had a job to do; Sasuke wanted to be distracted, so Naruto was damn well going to _distract_ him. Just see if the bastard could think about anything but Naruto for the rest of the night!

Oh, but it felt _so_ good to finally have Sasuke naked and writhing under him for the first time in- in how long? Far, far too long, that was for sure! He wanted to _look_ , to touch, to remember. And so he took another deep, steadying breath before shifting his body down to Sasuke's thighs.

He licked and nipped all the way down his right leg and nuzzled behind his knee, drawing a squeal of protest and another fierce wriggle out of Sasuke. No-one would ever believe that Sasuke Uchiha was _ticklish_ \- but you just had to find the right spots! And then, of course, you had to try to not get yourself killed by an angered Uchiha in the process.

Naruto let out a little groan as Sasuke's wriggling brushed up against his groin and he felt Sasuke's own rapidly hardening length. Sasuke was just so _gorgeous_ , and his legs…! Naruto knew better than anyone else just how powerful Sasuke was, how much _strength_ was in these legs, in those tight, defined muscles- Sasuke could kick him right across the earth now if he wanted to! And yet here he was, soft and pliant under him and whining softly as Naruto made his way down to his foot.

He ran his tongue around Sasuke's pretty little ankle and traced a finger across the bottom of his foot, drawing another protest and an almost _laugh_ out of the ticklish boy. Naruto gazed up at him and grinned at the blissed-out expression on the other boy's face. Yes, he was properly _distracted_ alright. He mirrored his actions all the way up Sasuke's other leg to his hips.

Then he lay down on Sasuke's thighs, smirking at how Sasuke had become even harder now, poking right into Naruto's chest- and he hadn't even _touched_ him there yet! He placed a soft but insistent kiss just below his belly-button and looked up to find Sasuke staring down at him intently, his eyes wide and wary and _burning_. …those _eyes_. Naruto felt liquid heat pooling in his stomach and he almost lost his resolve to take this slow, to make it all about _him_.

The longer Naruto lingered there just at the base of his stomach, pressing more kisses into his soft skin, the more Sasuke whimpered and tried to push him lower. Naruto escaped his grasp and draw a whine of protest from Sasuke, but his whine was quickly subsumed by a loud groan when Naruto brought a hand between his thighs and brushed his fingers up Sasuke's hardening length.

" _Ah_ ," he cried softly, "yes, _please_ , Naruto…"

Well, since he asked so _nicely_. Naruto brought his fingers together to circle his cock before rubbing his thumb back and forth across the top in the way he knew that Sasuke liked. Once he had Sasuke panting he moved his head down and ran his tongue from the top to the base in one long, smooth motion.

Sasuke gasped and arched off the bed at this sudden and unexpected action and Naruto moved both his hands to Sasuke's hips to push him back down into the mattress. He took the head of Sasuke's cock in his mouth and sucked hard, pressing his tongue down into the slit and feeling dazed and lightheaded at the salty and familiar taste. _It's been too long, please Sasuke_ , _don't ever let me go this long without you again, I'll_ _ **die**_ _!_

He felt Sasuke trembling under him and Naruto quickly released him and moved to kiss the inside of his thighs instead. Naruto knew just how sensitive he was, how _responsive_ , and he wanted this to last.

"Naruto…" Sasuke growled, and he grinned into Sasuke's skin. Okay, he would draw it out for as long as Sasuke was willing to not kill him for it.

"Stop moving," Naruto ordered, still having to push him down to keep him from squirming away. "And then I'll give you a _treat_ , okay?"

Sasuke growled again but reluctantly nodded and stopped squirming, though he was still panting and trembling a little.

"Good boy," Naruto crooned, and he slipped his hands between Sasuke's back and the mattress, running them downwards as he moved his mouth back to his cock. He ran his tongue up and down his length a few times, just to placate him for the moment, before circling his tongue around the head again and sucking down.

He pressed his hands in the base of Sasuke's spine and down over his backside, drawing a pleased sound from Sasuke, before running a single finger between his cheeks and circling his entrance.

Sasuke gasped and arched off the bed, looking down at him in surprise, but Naruto moved his hand away before he even knew what had happened. He sucked harder on the top of Sasuke's cock and drew a heated moan from him, and soon had him melting back down into the sheets. His eyes fluttered closed and he tangled his fingers through Naruto's hair, alternating between tugging him up and pushing him back down.

Naruto had been pleased with that reaction so he wasted no time in bringing that finger back down to lightly circle his entrance again. And this time Sasuke moaned and writhed under him, and wrapped his legs around Naruto's upper body and pushed up into him. Naruto grinned. _Got you_ , he thought. _Just you wait; you're going to_ _ **love**_ _this._

He pulled away and gazed up at his friend, and when Sasuke realised that Naruto had stopped he opened his eyes and scowled. " _What_?" he hissed, glaring down at Naruto.

"Do you have any lube?" Naruto asked, and he had to bite back a laugh when Sasuke jolted at that and noticeably tried to move away from him across the bed.

" _Naruto_!" he exclaimed. "There is no _way_ I'm letting you-"

Naruto really did laugh now at the panicked look on Sasuke's face. He quickly pressed a placating kiss to the base of his stomach. "Don't worry, bastard, your virgin ass is safe from me. I won't do that until you're _begging_ for it!"

Sasuke scowled at that. "Then what-"

"You'll see," Naruto interrupted. "Do you have any or not?"

Sasuke hesitated, but eventually he reached over and rummaged through a drawer, twisting onto his stomach for a moment to do so. The sight of his bare ass had Naruto's breath catching in his throat and his cock throbbing in his pants. _Down boy_ , he ordered himself sternly. He forced all of his attention onto Sasuke, who soon produced a small tube and tossed it down to him.

Naruto was pleasantly surprised. Sasuke actually had _lube_ in his house? In his _bedroom_? And it was open! Hardly used, but still! Naruto grinned cheekily up at Sasuke, wondering exactly what he'd been using for.

Sasuke blushed and looked away, scowling.

 _Ah, he's on the defensive now, look at those angry eyes_ , Naruto thought to himself. He kissed his way back down to Sasuke's cock and only once he had him distracted did he flick open the top of the tube and squeeze some of the smooth sticky liquid over his hand. He brought a finger back down between his cheeks and just lightly circled his entrance once more, with only just enough pressure to be noticeable.

Sasuke quickly tensed up and again and was staring down at him warily as Naruto kissed and nipped up his length. Naruto smiled at him before taking him into his mouth again, bobbing up and down and running his tongue around the head, drawing a little more of him in each time. He soon had a steady rhythm going and Sasuke closed his eyes and fell back down onto the pillows. _Good,_ Naruto thought.

He waited until he had Sasuke moaning and writing once more and then without warning he took the whole of Sasuke's cock in his mouth as he simultaneously slipped his finger inside Sasuke's entrance and pushed all the way in.

Sasuke shrieked and arched upwards, and Naruto thanked the gods he had no discernible gag reflect because Sasuke was _really_ pushing into him here- " _Naruto_! What are you- _ahh_!" Sasuke cried out again, as Naruto increased them tempo and pressure on his cock.

He sucked hard and brought his mouth all the way to the top before pushing down once more, all the while moving his finger gently, softly, in and out of him. He glanced up at Sasuke and found him staring down at him in alarm.

Naruto pulled away from his cock but kept his finger in place. He moved his other hand to rub soothing circles into his hip and back. "Does it hurt, Sasuke?" he murmured, glancing up at him in concern. "Do you want me to stop?"

"It doesn't _hurt_ , idiot!" Sasuke scowled. "Like I care about one stupid finger- what are you _grinning_ about?!"

"But does it feel _good_?" Naruto asked.

" _No_!" Sasuke declared, and Naruto instantly resumed moving his finger around, exploring. "How could that feel- feel…" and then his word petered off and his eyes widened.

 _Bingo_ , Naruto thought, pressing down on that spot hard. Sasuke gasped and bit his lip. "There now," Naruto murmured. "Does _that_ feel good?"

"It- it…"

Naruto laughed under his breath. Yeah, that felt good. "Take it easy, babe, you're all tense here!"

Sasuke made to growl at him again but somehow it came out as a moan.

Naruto moved back to his cock and soon had a nice rhythm established once more, sucking him in and moving his finger back and forth together in time. He soon had Sasuke wilting and whimpering underneath him, his eyes squeezed tightly shut in pleasure, panting hard.

"Mm- _mm_ , Naruto…" he groaned, rolling his hips and pressing up into his mouth. The sound and Sasuke's movements sent jolts of electricity running all the way through Naruto's body and he realised he was panting too, desperately drawing in air as he worked to give Sasuke the most pleasure he'd ever felt.

Naruto sucked harder and pressed his tongue against the underside of his cock, unrelenting now as he felt Sasuke trembling even more under him. Sasuke was tugging his hair and gripping him tighter with his thighs, and Naruto knew he wouldn't last much longer now. That was _fine_. He'd gotten what he wanted; he'd showed Sasuke yet another way that Naruto could please him.

…and based on his reaction, he was sure that it wouldn't be long before Sasuke let him do it again- and again, and again. _God,_ **_please_** _let me do this again_ , he thought.

Sasuke panted and whimpered, and pushed up against him even more; Naruto bore down and sucked him hard, taking him all the way down to his base, relishing the taste of him, the feel of him.

"God, don't stop, Naruto, Naruto…" Sasuke whined, shaking under him. "Mm, _yes_ …"

Naruto hummed happily at his words and sucked harder, and felt Sasuke tangling his fingers through his hair once more and gripping tight. Before long Sasuke cried out and arched his spine up off the bed, and is legs and all his muscles went rigid as he came into Naruto's mouth with a shriek that hit Naruto's ears like a bolt of thunder.

He groaned and kept sucking, drinking him in, as Sasuke bucked and arched under him. " _Ah_! Yes, _yes_ ," Sasuke cried, and Naruto wasn't sure if he'd ever felt this pleased with himself. He was practically vibrating with happiness at the sounds coming out of Sasuke's mouth and the way he twisted and shook as he came.

It took a moment to realize that Sasuke has pushed himself right up off the bed and Naruto quickly moved his hands to his waist to lower him back down to the mattress, twisting out of the death-grip Sasuke's legs had around him as well. He pressed light, feathery kisses up his stomach to his chest and neck and rubbed his hands soothingly into his back before nuzzling into his side, draping an arm over him.

His gazed over at Sasuke in wonder, at his heated checks and parted mouth, and gave him a moment to catch his breath before he leaned over and softly kissed his lips. "That was really nice, Sasuke," he purred, "did you like it?"

"Mm- _mm_ ," Sasuke groaned, his eyes fluttering open and returned Naruto's gaze. "It- it wasn't too…"

"-too bad, no, it wasn't," Naruto completed with a grin, stretching up to nudge Sasuke's nose with his own and kiss his chin. Sasuke whined at him and he laughed. "Okay, my turn!" he announced, rolling onto his back and giving Sasuke a look.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Who says _you_ get a turn?!" he exclaimed. "I'm exhausted!"

Naruto just laughed again. "Well, we'll see about that!" he said, sending Sasuke a leer and a cheeky grin, and wondering just how much more _distracting_ Sasuke could take that night.

* * *

Eventually, though, they both ran out of energy and as they lay together tangled up in the sheets, Naruto couldn't keep some of those dark thoughts from before away from his mind.

With Sasuke lying drowsy and snuggly against his side, Naruto could almost have said that he was feeling happy and content. ... _almost_. But it had been a very difficult week, and really, he didn't have all that much confidence that things were going to get better.

"Naruto…" Sasuke murmured, nuzzling into his chest.

"Mm?" Naruto asked. "What is it? You should go to sleep, Sasuke, it's late," he said, running a hand up and down his spine in lazy strokes.

Sasuke sighed softly and shivered at Naruto's touch. "I _was_ sleeping…" he breathed. "But I...I don't want you kissing anyone else..."

"…oh," Naruto said, trying to keep his voice steady even though his heart had just leapt out of his throat. He wondered if Sasuke actually _was_ awake or if he was just talking in his sleep. "So you want me to break up with all my boyfriends? I don't know about that…"

Sasuke bit down into his skin as punishment for that remark, and Naruto jolted. Yep, he was _definitely_ awake! Naruto chuckled and brought his arm around Sasuke's waist, pulling him closer.

"Go to sleep," Naruto said to him, brushing his hair away from his eyes and kissing the tip of his nose.

"...I don't want to stay here…" Sasuke went on, and there was so much pain in his eyes that Naruto felt a stab deep in his chest. Yes, he knew that; he'd known that all along, really. For whatever reason Sasuke had come back to Konoha, it wouldn't be enough to keep him here now.

"I know," Naruto murmured, trying to keep his voice from breaking. He couldn't force Sasuke to stay in Konoha; not when he was so miserable. Not when things like that damn flyer kept happening.

"I tried," Sasuke said, his voice low and weak and exhausted. "I _tried_ , and they just..."

"I know," Naruto repeated. "They're not good to you. You deserve their loyalty."

 _And so do_ _ **I**_ , he said to himself; _even if I spend the rest of my life as weak as a genin!_

Sasuke made an unhappy noise and settled back down on Naruto's chest, saying no more. Maybe that was for the best. This was a problem with no real solution. Naruto could see now how much he'd been asking, how much he'd been _demanding_ , by expecting Sasuke to stay here.

"Sasuke," he spoke, gripping him tight. He knew he'd regret saying this, but he couldn't help it. "Do you think…well, do you think you can stop _fighting_ me now? I can help, you know. Is it...is it _so_ hard to let me in?"

Sasuke shifted and stared up at him, resting his chin on Naruto's chest. "...yes," he said finally. "Uchihas aren't made for this kind of thing."

Naruto sighed. He highly doubted that. Sasuke as just being _stubborn_ , and he was sabotaging his own happiness and Naruto's too. What was he planning to do, just go on as he had been, fighting with Naruto and then summoning him each time he needed a distraction?

"You're an idiot," Naruto declared, resting back on the pillows. Oh well. It's not like they'd get anything sorted _tonight_. "...go to sleep."

* * *

 _Coming up next:_ _In which there might be things that even Ichiraku's Deluxe Dinner Set can't fix. Special appearance by a certain shabby dino._

A/N: *blush* It's been quite a while since we've had any NarSas action in this fic, I hope it didn't seem too sudden or out of place! An extra-long chapter this time as well, did y'll notice? Was tempted to split it into to but I thought…that would be cruel….

And Sasukins…maybe if you hadn't been so mean to Naruto, you wouldn't have felt so awful…*cough* but then we wouldn't have finally gotten them in bed together so!


	37. He's Mine

**He's Mine (Sasuke's POV)**

 _In which there might be things that even Ichiraku's Deluxe Dinner Set can't fix. Special appearance by a certain shabby dino._

A/N: Wahhhh thanks for all your lovely responses to the last chapter! Yes, our boys have come so far since this fic began, actually talking and being honest about their feelings. So of course, everything's just gonna figure itself out now, right? …well.

* * *

It was an odd feeling to wake up and realise that for once, his sleep had been blissfully free of dreams. And he hadn't woken up coughing or feeling feverish, his arm didn't hurt, he wasn't angry or desperate or needy. He was just…content. Peaceful. It was a _very_ odd feeling, and to be honest it was quite unnerving.

Thankfully, it didn't last very long.

He opened his eyes to find Naruto rifling through his room and pawing through all his drawers, dumping clothes and papers all over Sasuke's tidy bedroom. "Dammit, Sasuke!" the blonde whined. "You had _hundreds_ of blankets here the other day! Where the hell did they all go?!"

Sasuke gazed over at Naruto's bare thighs and backside and felt his cheeks warm. Despite the state of his room, seeing Naruto wandering around completely naked was certainty not an unwelcome sight, even if he _was_ being obscenely loud. Sasuke ran his eyes over those tight muscles in his shoulders and down his back, and hoped that he wasn't drooling.

…but then Naruto stepped away from his dresser and reached out to yank open the closet doors. Sasuke panicked and froze; no-one was meant to look in _there_! "No, _don't_!" he cried out, but it was too late. Naruto hurled a pile of blankets out of the closet and then paused, looking down.

Sasuke cowered into the bed as the idiot blonde's face broke out in a bright grin.

"Well hey now," Naruto sang, looking beside himself with happiness as he reached down to the bottom of the closet. "Who's this little guy?"

Sasuke pushed himself up and leant forward, snatching the plush dinosaur out of Naruto's hands and clutching him to his chest. "He's _mine_ ," he scowled. "...don't touch him!"

"He's cute," Naruto pronounced, gathering up the blankets from the floor and flopping back down on the bed next to Sasuke. "Does he have a name?"

Sasuke chose not to answer that. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was still early; barley 8 o'clock. There was time for more sleep. It's not like he had anything better to do today, given that he was still locked up in here. He settled on his side and carefully nestled Mr. Roary in his arms.

Naruto stared over at them both, his gaze lingering on Sasuke's arms around the shabby dino, and his eyes glazed over for a moment.

Sasuke glowered back over at him. "Stop that," he demanded, as Naruto laid a few more blankets over the top of them and even reached out to pet Mr. Roary's head. What _nerve_!

"Kiss me again," Naruto demanded back. "You're just too cute, I _need_ a kiss!"

Sasuke stuck his tongue out at him and nestled deeper into the blankets.

Naruto laughed at that. "Hey, I was _freezing_ last night you know!" he declared. "You only let me cuddle with you for like, ten minutes before you kicked me away. Right in the shins!"

"You're lucky I let you sleep here at all," Sasuke said to that, sulking. Naruto would have hung onto him the whole night if he thought he could get away with it.

"You cuddled with me for _hours_ the other night," Naruto said, giving Sasuke a sulky frown of his own in retaliation.

"I was delirious," Sasuke pointed out. It hasn't been _Naruto_ in the bed with him, it had been a blurry, Naruto-shaped heater. So _there_.

"Ah, you certainly were!" Naruto said with glee, a huge grin plastered on his face. He was in an annoyingly good mood this morning, it seemed.

"Stop that!" Sasuke said again. "Stop- stop being so _happy_!"

"Not gonna happen," Naruto pronounced. "I'm going to be happy all day. And I'm gonna replay what happened last night over and over and over again in my head. And then once more just for luck-"

"You _wouldn't_ ," Sasuke interrupted, horrified. That was _mortifying_ , the thought of Naruto walking around thinking about the two of them- no, it was unacceptable!

"You can't stop me," Naruto teased, reaching out to tickle his cheek with his finger. "Actually, I'm pretty sure I couldn't stop _myself_. It was _amazing_."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Well, maybe it _had_ been amazing. Maybe it had… _definitely_ been amazing. But still!

"Oh, hey!" Naruto said, his grin becoming even brighter. "Guess what, I spent all yesterday afternoon training, and Sakura-chan said I went from fifty percent to fifty-five percent! Isn't that _awesome_?"

Sasuke frowned, trying to translate Naruto's remarks into English. But he had no idea what Naruto was talking about, so he honestly couldn't say if it was _awesome_ or not. Well, he seemed happy, so it must be a good thing, right?

Suddenly there was a crash from outside the bedroom and the door slammed open. "Sasuke!" Sakura cried, before stopping short when she caught sight of them.

Sasuke quickly glanced down to make sure they were both covered enough, and subtly pushed Mr. Roary under the blankets. It was bad enough that _Naruto_ had seen him.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out, flashing her a grin. "What are you doing here?"

"I should have known I'd find you here," Sakura said with a growl. "I was coming to your place next. Get dressed already, would you? I'm taking you training in five minutes!'

Naruto nodded and slipped obediently out of bed, not seeming to care in the slightest that he was completely naked. Sasuke looked away and tried to supress his blush.

"And _you_!" Sakura exclaimed, turning her attention back to Sasuke. "Why on earth do you have such an annoying friend?!"

 _Ah_ , Sasuke thought. Yes, she'd had Suigetsu in her apartment the whole night. No wonder she seemed a bit…edgy. "You forced him into your place," Sasuke pointed out. "You have no right to complain."

"I have every right to complain!" Sakura retorted. "Why don't you have better control over your friends?! You need to program them, like I did with Naruto! Look at him, he's already dressed and waiting for me!"

Sasuke gazed over at the blonde and saw that this was indeed true; Naruto was standing there patiently, fully dressed.

"Aww! Thanks, Sakura-chan," Naruto said happily, seemly pleased with Sakura's praise. "Can we have breakfast before we go training?"

"See what you can find in Sasuke's kitchen," she instructed, and Naruto smiled and bounced out of the room.

"See?" Sakura said, her arms on her hips.

"You're welcome to try that with Suigetsu," he said. More than welcome. Sasuke would pay good money to see his friend obediently following Sakura's instructions.

Sakura sighed. "Whatever. Anyway, you're being released, so you need to get up and get dressed too. I need your help with his training."

"I'm being _released_?" Sasuke asked. Since when? This was the first _he'd_ heard about it.

" _Unofficially_ released," Sakura clarified. "The Anbu will still be watching you, and the boys have to stay here. Now, I assume you can get to the training fields without anyone seeing you? As far as Konoha is concerned, you'll still be locked up in here."

Sasuke shrugged. "Yeah, okay," he said. He sat up and then paused, staring at her. _He_ wasn't going to walk around naked in front of her! Leave that to the moron! "…you two go on ahead. I'll find you after I have a shower."

Sakura frowned. "Well, don't be too long!" she said as she whirled around and left the room.

Sasuke let out a breath and relaxed back into his pillows the instant she was gone. No, he wouldn't be too long, but he was sure he'd be forgiven for needing a little time to process just what he'd done last night.

* * *

"So what do you think?" Sakura asked as they sat at the side of the clearing watching Naruto train.

Sasuke gazed across at the over-energetic blonde and gave it some thought. There was undeniably still something wrong with Naruto; the bright spark in the back of his mind that usually marked his presence was barely a little blip. It had actually taken him ten minutes to figure out where Naruto was once he'd left his apartment this morning. Not that he was planning on telling Sakura that.

"He's stronger than he _was_ ," Sasuke finally concluded, and that was true; Sasuke had to admit that he was relieved- _more_ than relieved- to find that Naruto's condition didn't seem permanent.

Sakura nodded briefly. "I agree. But...but there's still a long way to go, before he's back up to his normal level."

"So what's you're theory?" Sasuke asked. Sakura surely had her own ideas of what had caused this.

She hesitated. "I've heard of illnesses that can do this kind of thing, but he doesn't have any other symptoms. So…a poison or toxin I would say. It's not really my area of expertise, though. If only he'd let me ask someone else, but he made me promise not to..."

"And if you asked someone else without telling him?" Sasuke suggested, only half in jest.

Sakura gave him a tight little smile. "Naruto takes promises _very_ seriously, you know."

Sasuke sighed. Yes, he _did_ know; which is exactly why he tried so hard to avoid promising the guy _anything_. Give him an inch and he'd take a mile. He couldn't help it; it was just his nature.

"So that's _how_ ," Sasuke said. "Do you have a theory as to _why_?"

She paused. "I do, actually," she said. "Everyone knows that Naruto is Konoha's best defence. Konoha's _main_ defence, even. I think he was deliberately targeted, so that he would be weakened when the attack came and they'd have a better chance of succeeding."

"The attack failed, though," Sasuke pointed out.

"Well, they came a lot closer to the archives than you might think. That's classified information, by the way. The official line is that yes, they failed, they didn't get anywhere near the archives."

Sasuke frowned. That was...concerning. The information and potential power in those archives could not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands.

"Sakura-chan, look!" Naruto called out, and they both stared over to see Naruto standing proud with at least 30 clones behind him. ...ah, that explained the headache Sasuke could feel coming on, all those mini sparks of Naruto-chakra in the back of his head.

Sakura smiled. "Very good, Naruto-kun," she called back in praise. "Why don't you run some drills with them? Three on one until you take them all out."

"Okay!" Naruto exclaimed happily, bounding off and calling out orders to the clones.

"He's like a puppy," Sasuke commented, wrinkling his nose. And just as needy as one, that was for sure.

"At least he's in a much better mood today than he has been," she said, sending him a sly look. "I wonder why?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I have no idea," he said back, as if she hadn't walked in on the two of them naked in Sasuke's bed this morning.

Sakura sighed heavily. "I swear to god, Sasuke, if someone looked at me the way Naruto looks at you, I'd be beside myself!" she declared out of the blue.

Sasuke blinked and stared over at her, surprised at her sudden outburst. "Where did _that_ come from?" he asked.

She shot him a dark look. "He's my best friend! And he _adores_ you. And it's mutual, I know it is, so why can't you stop messing him around-"

"I don't want to talk about this," Sasuke interrupted, feeling his blood run cold at her sudden anger.

"I'm sure you _don't_ ," she said back with a scowl. "But it's all still there, and it's all still _true_ , whether you talk about it or not!"

Sasuke fell silent and looked away from her.

There was a palpable tension in the air as they both turned their attention back to Naruto. Sasuke was shocked. Sakura certainly hadn't been shy the past few months about voicing her opinion on his actions, but she'd never been so…angry. Is that really how she felt?

And Naruto, he'd been angry too yesterday, when they'd fought. Really angry. Yes, Sasuke had provoked him, he'd done it deliberately, he could admit that. But he'd still be surprised. _It just goes to show_ , Sasuke said to himself, _it's not safe here. It's too intense. Everyone's too invested in something that could never happen._

They sat in silence for another few moments until Sasuke could bear it no longer.

"I need to leave, Sakura," he murmured to her, keeping his eyes glued to the ground. "I can't stay here any longer. I shouldn't have come back. He...he would have..." He would have moved on. He'd already found someone else, after all.

"No, he wouldn't have," Sakura interjected. "He's _yours_ , Sasuke, completely yours. He'd do anything you asked."

…maybe he would, and maybe he wouldn't. But it just couldn't happen. What would that even be like? Naruto was all-consuming; he would demand Sasuke's whole _life_ , his whole being. Sasuke couldn't give it to him, or to _anyone_. What would he become, someone who just idly stood in the shadows watching Naruto chase after his own dreams? Someone who sat at home and waited for him to get back after a long day at the tower?

No, Naruto needed someone who could properly take care of him- be the Hokage's silent partner, supporting his ambitions. That wasn't _Sasuke_ , that was for sure. He should go after one of those nice, silly girls who chased him around, that would be best. Someone pretty to cook and clean for him. She could give him children, a family. That was what Naruto needed, not- not a-

-but wait, that would mean-

"Sasuke?" Sakura murmured, glancing over at him.

Sasuke blanched, his head suddenly full of images of Naruto kissing someone else, holding someone else, sharing a bed with someone else- no, no, that couldn't- _he's_ _ **mine**_ -

"I really shouldn't have come back," he muttered, feeling immensely sorry for himself and unable to stop picturing Naruto with that idiot outside the bar, the way they'd been smiling and laughing together, Naruto had seemed _happy_ , and then they'd been kissing and-

- _and what do_ _ **I**_ _do to him?! I certainly don't make him_ _ **happy**_ _!_ Sasuke would never forget the look on Naruto's face the other night when they'd been arguing, and Sasuke had said those terrible things to him. About Konoha- about his _home_. Why did Sasuke feel so compelled to fight with him, to try so damn hard to push him away?! If he'd just stayed away, then Naruto could have moved on, and Sasuke wouldn't be stuck with knowing exactly what it looked like when Naruto was with someone else.

Sakura sighed next to him. "Look, I've got stuff to do- can I trust you to supervise his training?" she asked. "And to not kill each other?"

"Yeah," Sasuke mumbled. "Sure." He highly suspected she had ulterior motives for heading off now, but whatever.

She sighed again. "You're hopeless," she said as she stood. "Honestly, would being happy be the _worst_ thing in the world, Sasuke?"

He shrugged. Maybe it would be, and maybe it wouldn't be. Who knew what being happy even _meant_ , anyway. He waved goodbye as she left the clearing, and then turned back to watch Naruto train. If nothing else, he had a duty to see Naruto get back to full strength. After that- who knew.

* * *

They trained for several more hours until Sasuke honestly couldn't tell if Naruto was improving or if it was just wishful thinking. When the sun started to set they called it a day and headed back towards town.

"Hey Naruto, where's Kyuubi?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto averted his eyes. "I was wondering when someone would ask about that," he mumbled.

Well, to be honest, Sasuke had preferred not to know. All of this was bad enough, without worrying about the demon.

"His name is _Kurama_ ," Naruto said, "and he's…not talking to me. He's annoyed because this- poison or whatever it is- it took away some of _his_ chakra, too."

Well, great. So this thing was strong enough to affect tailed-beast chakra as well? That was just…wonderful. He sighed.

"So what's it like to feel _normal_ , huh?" Sasuke asked, and Naruto poked his tongue out at him.

"Hey, shut up would you? I'll be back to kicking your ass in no time, you'll see!" he declared. "And for the record, it's _horrible_."

Sasuke nodded. Yes, he was sure it was. Sasuke may not have been born with crazy amounts of chakra like Naruto had- he'd had to _train_ to get to that level- but the very idea of suddenly being stripped of half his strength was terrifying.

They walked on, Naruto slumped over and dragging his feet, looking exhausted. _And he was in such a good mood this morning_ , Sasuke thought. He'd almost seemed his normal self, so annoyingly exuberant and energetic. Sasuke had almost started to think that the idiot had just forgotten those terrible things Sasuke had said, that he was back to feeling optimistic about his chances of recovery.

A small voice in the back of Sasuke's head told him that he himself had the power to put Naruto right back into his good mood, right away. With just a few words, or a few carefully placed touches. He shivered. No-one should have that much power. And yet, he _did_ ; he hadn't asked for it, the moron had done this to them _both_.

He cleared his throat. "Hey, Naruto…" he began.

"You already regret it, don't you," Naruto murmured.

Sasuke froze. He- well, he… "That, um…"

Naruto kept his eyes downcast, avoiding Sasuke's gaze. "Calling me last night? You wish you hadn't. Right?"

Sasuke winced. Why couldn't this guy be a 100% idiot instead of a 95% one? Fine, if he had to admit it, calling Naruto had been a stupid thing to do. If Sasuke just had more self-control, this whole thing would be easier on both of them.

"It's okay, really," Naruto went on. "I knew what you were asking for. And- and I wanted to help. I _did_ help, right, Sasuke? You felt better?"

His voice was so earnest and eager that it cut right through all of Sasuke's defences like they were paper. "…yes," he heard himself say. "Yes, it helped. A lot." Okay, so it wouldn't hurt to show a little appreciation for a job well done.

Naruto seemed to brighten a little at that; at least, he lifted his eyes and smiled, just a tiny bit. "Good," he said back. "I'm glad."

Sasuke bit his lip. He should leave it at that. Naruto was giving him the out he needed to get around this, they could just move on. Sasuke would just deal with his issues himself next time, he needed need to get Naruto involved with his problems. Yes, they should just move on-

"…let's go get dinner," Sasuke found himself saying. _Dammit, Sasuke!_ he cursed himself. _Why did you do that?_

Naruto blinked. "Dinner?" he repeated. "Really?"

"Well, _I'm_ hungry, and _you're_ hungry, so we might as well," Sasuke replied gruffly.

"Oh, okay!" Naruto said. "Let's- oh! But, you're not actually meant to go outside, so…"

-right, true. Yet another out Naruto was providing for him. Too bad, we can't eat together, I guess you'll be going home now. "Go and get ramen and bring it back to my place," Sasuke said.

Naruto's eyes widened. " _What_?" he exclaimed. " _Ramen_? You're going to eat ramen, with me, voluntarily?!"

No, Sasuke wasn't sure it was _voluntarily_. There was something in him compelling him to say all these idiotic things. He was probably relapsing. He made a mental note to check his temperature later.

"And I mean _real_ ramen, Naruto, if you come back with instant, I _swear_ -"

"Right, of course!" Naruto interrupted. "Two Ichiraku deluxe dinner sets it is! Okay, I'll be right back!"

And then he was gone, bouncing up and over the rooftops, probably thinking he should leave before Sasuke changed his mind. And that was probably a fair point.

Sasuke stood still for a moment, until he remembered that he was meant to be confined to his apartment. He sighed and headed home. Look, the bottom line was, he didn't want Naruto to be with anyone else- Naruto was _his_ idiot, and no-one else's! But that was just- that wasn't going to work. In which case, Sasuke would just have to stay away from him forever, so he didn't have to see that, see Naruto being happy right in front of him.

Besides, did he really want to spend the rest of his life fighting with that moron? Naruto just didn't get it, he'd chased him for all those years demanding he come back- come back to what? Konoha wasn't the magical place that Naruto thought it was. Sasuke didn't know how else he could say it, not without hurting him even more.

Yes, leaving for good was the sensible thing to do. Just as soon as Naruto was better- as soon as all this _Ryuu_ nonsense was sorted out- he needed to get as far away from Konoha as he could, and never come back.

* * *

 _Coming up next:_ _Naruto proves that he's just as big a baby when he's *cough*hungover* "sick" as Sasuke is, and team seven/Taka receives a mission from the Hokage._

A/N: Okay Sasuke, I see how it is, it's one step forward and two steps back with you isn't it, *grumbles*. (Also GUYS, I totally just finished writing the epilogue! Wellllll the first draft anyway, it's all still patchy. But still!)

Oh and ALSO! Me and a friend just started a Christmas-themed SNS event/challenge over on tumblr. Come and check it out at .com!


	38. Hangover

**Hangover (Sasuke's POV)**

 _In which Naruto proves that he's just as big a baby when he's *cough*hungover* "sick" as Sasuke is, and team seven/Taka receives a mission from the Hokage._

A/N: Mild NSFW warning for a bit of action and some language. Extra-long chapter this week too guys! (There may or may not be a mid-week update also.)

* * *

Sasuke woke to the smell of bacon and the sound of someone moving around in the kitchen. A quick glance down at the bed revealed that yes, Naruto was still well and truly passed out and snoring next to him (actually _snoring_ ), which meant it could only be Juugo out there.

He slipped out of bed and carefully placed Mr. Roary back in the sheets- the dinosaur could stay out of the cupboard for now, he'd decided- and padded into the kitchen. On the way he peered into the study and spotted a snoring Suigetsu crumpled up on the tatami. _Sakura kicked them out then, huh_. The silver-haired fiend was lying in an undignified heap which couldn't possibly be comfortable.

"I think Sakura-san put something in his bedtime milk," Juugo informed him, as Sasuke joined him in the kitchen.

Ah, that explained it. Sasuke wasn't entirely sure how he felt about Sakura drugging his friends- but hey, it was always going to happen one day. Juugo sat down at the table and pushed a plate of food in his direction. Two more plates remained untouched on the table, and would probably stay that way- it didn't look like Suigetsu would be waking up any time soon, and he was pretty sure Naruto wouldn't be eating _anything_ today.

"You're smiling, Sasuke," Juugo murmured, and with a start Sasuke realised it was true. He _was_ smiling, smiling into his breakfast like some kind of moron.

He shrugged and tried to stop, but somehow he just kept on smiling anyway. "Thank you for breakfast," he said, as he glanced around the room. "…and for cleaning up." He seemed to remember it had been pretty messy in here last night before he's hauled Naruto to bed. Now there was just a tidy pile of rubbish by the door and a stack of sake bottles and beer cans waiting to be recycled.

Juugo nodded. "The Hokage is coming by for a meeting," he said, in his quiet and unassuming voice. "He'll be here in an hour."

Sasuke stopped eating. "He'll _what_?" he exclaimed. "What _for_?!"

"I think he has a mission for us," Juugo went on. "Sakura's coming too. She said Naruto had to be here also."

Sasuke scoffed. "I don't think he'll be in any condition for a meeting," he commented. Naruto had come back last night with their ramen dinner in one hand and a bulging bag of alcohol in the other. _Sasuke!_ he'd exclaimed, a happy excited look on his face. _Let's experiment!_

"I thought alcohol had no effect on him," Juugo said.

Well, last night's 'experiment' had decisively proved that as long as Naruto was in his weakened state, he most definitely _could_ get drunk- and rather quickly, too. It had been…quite entertaining, and rather enlightening as well. Sasuke was pretty sure that the blonde himself wouldn't remember a single second of it.

Sasuke turned back to his breakfast. He'd have to wake him up somehow though, if Kakashi was coming for a meeting. But he should get some of that medicine from Sakura first, and- oh, too late.

There was a crash from the bedroom which Sasuke could only assume was the moron falling out of his bed, and then the moron himself appeared in the doorway, rushing down the hall in the direction of the bathroom.

"Shit shit shit shit!" came Naruto's panicked cry, closely followed by the sounds of retching from the bathroom. " _Sasuke_!" he wailed.

Sasuke winced and pushed his breakfast away. That was enough of _that_. With a sigh he stood and made his own way to the bathroom, most reluctantly. And there as expected he found Naruto on his knees, puking his guts out into the toilet.

He quickly damped a handtowel and knelt by Naruto's side, pushing his hair off his forehead and wiping his face. "Good morning, sunshine," he teased, somewhat amused by Naruto's current condition.

Naruto just shot him a deadly glare- strong enough to even rival his _own_ \- before falling back down on the toilet seat. "Sasuke," he whined between heaves, "why, _why_ do people drink?!"

"It was your own idea," Sasuke happily reminded him, dabbing at his sulky face.

"Never again!" Naruto declared, and Sasuke secretly thought that was probably a good idea, though somewhat regrettable at the same time. The two of them had been so much more honest with each other when Naruto was drunk off his ass.

Naruto groaned and slumped down to the floor. "Sasuke…" he whimpered. "everything _hurts_ …"

"Kakashi's coming over for a meeting," Sasuke informed him, and a horrified expression took over the blonde's face.

"What?! No! But I- oh _god_ , it _hurts_ -" he shrieked, gripping his head in his hands. "And I- no, no, he _can't_ -"

"Here," Juugo said to Sasuke, handing him a glass of water and some pills.

Sasuke smiled. "Thanks," he said, taking them and leaning over towards Naruto. "Open up," he ordered. "You have to drink _all_ the water."

"Ugh," Naruto whined, wrinkling his nose, but he did as instructed, letting Sasuke slip the pills into his mouth and then gulping all the water down.

Sasuke waited a moment to see if that would trigger another round of vomiting, but all seemed okay for now. He noticed that Juugo had placed two clean towels next to him. _Good idea_ , he thought, getting to his feet and reaching down to haul the ailing boy up.

"Okay sunshine, let's get you into the shower!" he teased, tugging Naruto's pants off his hips and letting his hands linger on his back a little longer than necessary.

" _No_ ," Naruto protested, "don't wanna!" He didn't seem to notice Sasuke's roving hands at all, and how he slid them all the way down to the back of his thighs as he nudged him over to the shower.

"Well, I insist," Sasuke said, reaching past him to turn on the water and pushing him forward. Then he quickly pulled his own clothes off and joined him.

"…oh," Naruto said, glancing over at him and leaning heavily on the wall. His eyes glazed over. "Well, in _that_ case…"

Sasuke highly doubted that Naruto would be capable of doing anything more than _look_ at him for the next little while, so he wasn't bothered at all. He reached out and dragged Naruto under the water, ignoring his sudden shriek of protest at such treatment. He poured some shampoo into that messy blonde hair of his and started scrubbing.

"Sasuke!" Naruto whined, "this is not how it's meant to go- oh, shit, Sasuke! What the hell _happened_ last night?!"

"What do you mean?" Sasuke purred back at him, giving him an innocent look as he washed the shampoo out of his hair. He couldn't be bothered with conditioner, so he just grabbed the shower gel and squeezed a generous amount over him.

"I don't remember _anything_!" Naruto exclaimed, a look of panic taking over his face. "Not a thing! What- what happened?!"

"We drank, and then you passed out," Sasuke said, grabbing his hips and forcibly turning him around to wash his back. "Well, you drank quite a bit more than me," he added.

"Sasuke!" Naruto protested, "that's not- that's not… _ohh_ …" His words petered out as Sasuke pressed his hands into the muscles all along his spine. " _Mmph_ …"

"Good boy," Sasuke crooned when Naruto stopped struggling and allowed himself to be cleaned. Sasuke spent an extra bit of time really scrubbing each of his butt cheeks as well, just for good measure, kneading the firm muscles there and biting his bottom lip. This man…he'd be the death of him. "You were saying?"

"I have no _idea_ what I was saying…" Naruto said, leaning back into Sasuke's touch and moaning as Sasuke circled his arms around to wash his stomach and chest. "Oh…can we shower together every morning?"

"No," Sasuke answered promptly. "And you're all done. Get dry and then I'll find you some clothes." He had a pile of Naruto's clothes laundered and put aside in his room somewhere, in preparation for just such a morning as this.

"Ah, but Sasuke, I gotta wash _you_ now-" Naruto protested, his eyes widening as Sasuke slipped past him and out of the shower with a quick swat to Naruto's backside.

"I'll cope," Sasuke interrupted, giving him a _no-nonsense-Naruto_! look. "We have to ready!" Sasuke quickly dried himself off and wrapped the towel around him before he opened the door, shooting one last look at Naruto naked in the shower, droplets of water dripping down him.

Well, if Sasuke was leaving Konoha permanently, he'd better do as much _looking_ as possible before he left. And maybe a few more of what they did last night, too. Just a few more times.

* * *

"Listen, Sasuke!" Naruto had said last night, slamming his fist down on the coffee table and scowling. "You are the _worst_ friend in the _world_!" He sculled another can of beer and then slammed that down on the table too just for emphasis.

" _I'm_ the worst friend?!" Sasuke shot back, snatching the bottle of sake from Naruto's other hand. The black bottle tasted better warm, he'd decided, and the white one was best cold. "And who the hell decided we were _friends_ , anyway?!"

" _You_ did!" Naruto shrieked, waving a new can of beer at him wildly; the amber liquid sloshed all over his hand, though that went entirely unnoticed. "When you tried to kill me! You said I was your best friend in the entire word, no one was more important, I had a special place in your heart-"

"I did _not_ say any of that crap," Sasuke retorted, blushing bright red immediately. Okay, the idiot had a point, there was a reason he'd been so convinced it was _Naruto_ that he had to kill. But-

"I'm pretty sure that's _exactly_ what you said," Naruto interjected, "I take it pretty seriously when people try to kill me y'know!"

Sasuke scoffed. "I'd bet you a million dollars you can't even _remember_ all the times people have tried to kill you!" Sasuke declared. Such occurrences must number in their hundreds by now, thousands even.

"You take that back!" Naruto shrieked, dropping the can of beer and lunging over from his side of the couch at him. "People have tried to kill _you_ way more times!"

They instantly started tearing into each other on the couch for a while, wrestling and pulling at each other's clothes, with Sasuke wondering if this was always how it would be- fighting and fighting until- yep, there were Naruto's hands pawing at his pants and his lips on his neck. How _predictable_.

And then somehow in the next moment they were shirtless and making out, Sasuke pushing Naruto into the couch cushions and Naruto arching up against him, hissing and scowling and running his nails down his back.

"Just why do people want to kill me so bad anyway!" Naruto growled, pulling away from Sasuke's mouth. "Am I _really_ that-"

" _Yes_ ," Sasuke declared, moving down to Naruto's throat and biting at his skin. "Yes, you're _really_ that annoying!"

Naruto pouted and grabbed Sasuke's hips, forcibly lifting him up and switching their positions. "Well, at least I'm not a- not a-"

"Yes?" Sasuke prompted, wriggling his hips under Naruto's and pushing up into his now very hard erection.

Naruto scowled. "Not a whiny-ass bitch-"

"Hey!" Sasuke interrupted. "You take that back, you take it back _now_ -"

"I won't!" Naruto declared, shoving his hands down Sasuke's pants and gripping him tight.

Sasuke squeaked and tried to pull away; that _hurt_ , dammit! "Naruto, you need-"

"There, you see?!" Naruto said, tugging Sasuke's pants down and pouring sake all over his hand. "Whiney! Is that better, princess?"

Sasuke groaned when Naruto resumed running his fingers all around his cock; yes, okay, the sake _did_ help, but still- "Ohhh god, _yes_ , like that, Naruto…" he moaned, wrapping his arms around the moron's shoulders and pulling him back down on top of him.

Naruto groaned back, staring down at him with wide, shining eyes. "Fuck," he hissed, "you're so _beautiful_ , Sasuke, why they hell do you even let me touch you?!"

Sasuke blinked and stared back at him, not sure he heard him correctly. " _Seriously_?" he exclaimed, running his hands down Naruto's sides, pressing into the tight muscles around his chest and stomach.

"Seriously," Naruto repeated, "you're the most gorgeous person I've ever seen, and the things you let me do to you-"

Sasuke fell back against the couch and started laughing. "Naruto!" he shot out between short, desperate breaths. "Have you ever even looked at yourself in a mirror?! Seen a _picture_ of yourself? You-"

Naruto blushed bright red instantly. "Sasuke!" he squeaked, his voice going high and scratchy. "What do you _mean_ , I-"

The tipsy blonde pulled away from him sat back on his heels, and Sasuke followed after him, taking his face in his hands and peppering his cheeks and jaw with kisses. _Naruto_ was the gorgeous one here, his _eyes_ , and his smile, it turned all his insides into mush-

Naruto whimpered, slumping down onto Sasuke's shoulder. "You're just saying it cause you're drunk," he slurred. "And- and my head hurts, I-"

" _You're_ drunk," Sasuke said to that, "and never mind all that now!" he added. They had important business to attend to-

Naruto pulled further away from him, swaying slightly, and reaching over to the table to grab his can of beer. "Hang on babe, I'm thirsty-"

"Naruto!" Sasuke scowled, feeling beyond impatient now.

"…oh, hang on," Naruto said, looking down at his lap, narrowing his eyes. "…look at that. Hey, it really _is_ true! Drunk people really do have trouble with-"

 _What_?! Sasuke thought; _No, not_ **_now_**!

"Well, _I'm_ not having any trouble!" Sasuke protested. "So you damn well better-"

"Hey, if I keep drinking, will it get hard again?" Naruto asked, giving him a contemplative look.

As if Sasuke knew everything about alcohol's effects on your erection. "Why are you asking _me_ that?" Sasuke scowled. "And get back to work!"

"Yeah yeah, I'm on it princess, stop whining!" Naruto said, sliding off the couch onto his knees in front of Sasuke. He reached out to grip Sasuke's hips and pull him forward across the cushions.

"Do _not_ call me that!" Sasuke ordered, but his anger melted away as soon as Naruto took him into his mouth. His mind went blank as soon as he felt Naruto's tongue swirling up and down his length, and he melted into the couch cushions. "Mm, _yes_ …" he purred, tangling his fingers through Naruto's hair and pulling him forward.

No, he didn't have any room in his head to think about _anything_ when Naruto was touching him, with Naruto all around him. He was blissfully hazy, and if anyone asked him just how things had ended up like this, he would have no idea what to tell them.

* * *

Sasuke left the bathroom and quickly dressed, then found the tidy stack of Naruto's clothes he had squirrelled away and dumped them in the bathroom. "Hurry up, dead-last!" he shot at Naruto, still standing under the running water, vacant-eyed. "Or would you like to explain to the Hokage why you're showering in my apartment?!"

"I have no _idea_ why I'm showering in your apartment!" Naruto said to that. "I can't remember _anything_!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and left; he'd never even finished his breakfast before this troublesome guy had started throwing up, and he was hungry, dammit.

Half an hour later, Sakura walked through the front door to find Sasuke feeding Naruto small bits of bread between sips of coffee.

Ten minutes after _that_ , Kakashi walked through the front to door to find Naruto sulking at Sasuke with a betrayed look in his eyes after the bread and coffee had triggered another puking incident.

Sasuke glared over at Kakashi, who gazed around the room taking in the sights: Naruto and Sasuke sitting on opposite ends of the couch, Juugo dabbing at the rug under the couch, and Sakura in the kitchen mixing a foul-looking green mixture in a glass.

"Have a good night, did you?" Kakashi asked with a bright smile.

Sasuke just continued to glare. "Have a seat, Hokage-sama," he said frostily, nodding to the armchair opposite the couch.

Kakashi sat cautiously, straight-backed and right on the edge of the chair. He looked immensely relieved when Sakura returned to the lounge room and sat down between the boys.

"Good morning," she said to Kakashi in an artificially sweet voice, then turned to Naruto and handed him whatever concoction she'd mixed up in the glass. Sasuke thought it was the most awful thing he had ever seen in his life, and there's no way he'd ever let it near his mouth.

"You're expecting him to drink that?" Kakashi said, staring at the glass warily.

"It's one of my greatest innovations, I'll have you know," Sakura said to that, just as sweetly as before. "I'm thinking of charging for it. I'd make a fortune."

Sasuke decided then and there to _never_ get drunk enough that he needed one of _those_. Just the smell of it alone was turning his stomach.

Naruto whimpered and stared down into the glass. "Sakura-chan, I really don't want to-"

"Drink it," Sakura said, smiling a sugary-sweet smile to match the voice. Naruto looked beyond terrified and took the glass from her instantly. She nodded and pet his head.

 _Poor guy_ , Sasuke thought, feeling a brief pang of sympathy, even though the idiot _had_ just thrown up on his rug.

Kakashi cleared his throat. "If we could get started," he said.

"By all means," Sasuke said, shooting a final glare in Naruto's direction. The blonde ignored him, sipping his green drink delicately and wrinkling his nose.

"Well then," Kakashi went on, evidently deciding to ignore the tension in the room. "I assume by now you've already read the report on the attack."

Sasuke and Naruto both stared furtively at their feet. Read the report?! As if. "I've been sick," Sasuke mumbled.

"And I've been- busy," Naruto added.

"…I can see that," Kakashi said, glancing at the stack of beer cans by the front door. "Ah, Sakura? You've read it, of course?"

"Yes, of course I have," she scowled. "Honestly, you two-"

Naruto resumed whining immediately. "But Sakura-"

"Finish your drink," she ordered, sighing heavily. "Look, the upshot is that _Ryuu_ didn't get to the archives, though they got very close, and now the remnants of their forces are holed up in one of the eastern bases. Right?" she concluded, staring at Kakashi.

"A very efficient summary," Kakashi said. "At least _one_ of you lot turned out alright. Now, the obvious counter-attack would be to send a sizable squad to the base to wipe them out. However, we feel that would leave Konoha far too vulnerable. So, we're sending _you_ five."

"Um. _Us_?" Naruto questioned. "Five?"

"Yes," Kakashi confirmed. "You three, plus the Taka boys. One of which is missing, I note."

Sasuke blanched. Naruto and Suigetsu on the same team?! That might be the worst idea he had _ever_ heard.

"He's sleeping off a minor cold," Sakura said. "When would we leave?"

"Three days from now," Kakashi answered.

Sakura exchanged a worried glance with Sasuke. It was still only the two of them who knew about Naruto's…little problem. Three days couldn't conceivably be time enough to bring him back up to full strength- if that was indeed possible.

"Will there be Anbu with us?" Sasuke asked; because if there were, they wouldn't even be able to work on Naruto's training while they were out there.

Kakashi shook his head. "They'll be maintaining their usual patrols of the forest, but they won't be with you," he said. "And as far as Konoha is concerned, all of you will still be in the village. This mission is classified."

Sasuke glanced over at Naruto and saw that he'd gone white. Yes, he knew what the blonde was thinking. This mission had only been assigned to them because as far as the tower knew, Naruto was at full strength- so sending both him and Naruto off to this base couldn't possibly fail.

He had to fight back the urge to tell Kakashi right now what had been going on. But Sakura was right; Naruto would never forgive them for breaking their promise.

He sighed. "Do you have the mission notes for us?" he asked, and Kakashi handed them over. "I'll actually read these ones," he promised.

Kakashi nodded. "We'll meet again in two days to confirm all the details, so make sure you've all had a close look at that before then," he said, shooting a look in Naruto's direction.

Naruto scowled. "Yeah yeah, I'll read it!" he said, leaning over to snatch the notes out of Sasuke's hands.

Kakashi stood from his seat. "Good. That's settled, then."

Sakura stood also and moved to show him out of the apartment. Sasuke gazed over at Naruto who was staring at the mission notes and squinting. There was no way he was in any condition to read them now. He really had been atrociously drunk last night.

Sasuke winced, thinking of the things they'd said to each other. Things which, he was pretty sure, neither of them would have said if it weren't for the alcohol.

* * *

Sasuke had been feeling pleasantly buzzed and nicely relaxed, blissed out on the couch after Naruto's…ministrations. He'd somehow managed to get his pants back on and was quietly congratulating himself for not getting as embarrassingly drunk as some _other_ people in the room.

" _Sasuke_ ," Naruto whined, stumbling back to the couch with another armful of beer cans and almost tripping over his own feet in the process. "I-"

"Sit _down_ , idiot!" Sasuke called out, reaching over to steady him as he landed on the floor by Sasuke's feet.

Naruto slouched against the couch, leaning on Sasuke's legs. "Thanks," he slurred, opening up a can. "Anyway, I-"

"Are you sure you should be drinking _more_?" Sasuke exclaimed, staring at the rubbish-littered floor and wrinkling his nose at the smell of beer and sake coming off the blonde.

Naruto growled, turning his head and looking up so he could see Sasuke's face. "Would you just shut up already, I'm trying to say something here!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Fine, pass out then, see if I care!" He crossed his arms across his chest and glared at him, falling back onto the couch cushions.

"Jeez, and to think I'd just been about to _apologize_!" Naruto declared. "You're such a-"

"Apologize?" Sasuke interrupted, suddenly curious. That was an awfully big word for such a drunk moron. "What for?"

Naruto glared and shot him a deadly look, taking a long sip of his beer before continuing. "You're not the worst friend in the world," he said with a pout. "… _I_ am."

"…oh," said Sasuke, surprised, and not really sure how to respond to that. "Are you…are you sure?" he asked. Because actually, Sasuke had done a lot of really shitty things over the past few years and sometimes he was honestly shocked that Naruto was still speaking to him- let alone everyone else!

"Yes," Naruto whined, dropping his drink and slumping over onto Sasuke's knees. "Why did I even bring you back here to this horrible place?! It's _awful_! And it's all my fault, you would have been _free_ , and now you're just miserable…"

Naruto's words were quite slurred and indistinct by now, but Sasuke could still pick out what he was trying to say. Was he…was he really _apologising_?! Admitting he was wrong? Admitting that Konoha might not be- _shock_ \- perfect?!

Sasuke stared hard at him, not knowing what to say. He frowned. "Naruto, you…"

"For _years_ I tried to get you back here, I would have forced you back here against your will if I could have, and for what?!" Naruto said, and his whole face had gone red, his eyes dark and unhappy. He hugged Sasuke's knees and stared up at him, looking completely dejected.

…all of that may have been true, but hearing Naruto say it out loud like this was more than a little surprising. Sasuke stared back at him, deeply concerned. "But Naruto-"

"You gotta let me finish, Sas," Naruto interjected. "You _hate_ it here, you said yourself it's not your home! And I _made_ you come back, and those damn flyers falling all over town, I'm just the worst person in the _world_ -"

Okay, that was _enough_ ; Sasuke couldn't take any more of this. He had no idea that the flyer incident had hit him so hard. Those rumours weren't even about Naruto, so why was he so upset about it?!

"Naruto, stop!" he ordered, clamping a hand over his mouth to silence him. "Look, what's with this all of a sudden? And you- you didn't know how I felt back then, you…you thought it would be for the best-"

"Yeah, but _why_?!" Naruto exclaimed, pulling away from his hand. "Why? Think of what they did to us, Sasuke! We were _orphans_!"

Sasuke winced, hearing his words from the other night parroted back at him. It had been wrong, so wrong of him to say those things to Naruto. It had been cruel. He knew how much it meant to Naruto, to feel like he belonged. Who the hell was _he_ to get in the way of that?

"I didn't have a single birthday, Sasuke," Naruto went on, and Sasuke froze when he saw the blonde's eyes welling up. "Not _one_ , I was so _lonely_ , and they-"

"Hey, shh, don't," Sasuke interrupted, slipping off the couch and shifting over next to him. Naruto instantly clamped on to him, nestling into his side. "Maybe this alcohol thing wasn't such a good idea…"

Naruto whimpered, leaning forward to rest his head on Sasuke's shoulders. "I'm so sorry, Sasuke,"  
he said, wrapping his arms around Sasuke's back. "I wasn't thinking of you at all, I just wanted my friend back-"

"I know," Sasuke said, shifting awkwardly on the floor into a more comfortable position, and patting Naruto's back. Naruto was trembling and gripping him tight, and all Sasuke could think to do was just keep patting his back, keep rubbing circles into his shoulders.

He was blown away; Naruto was saying _sorry_. But actually, he was starting to think that Naruto was so drunk by now that he wouldn't even remember any of this in the morning. Was an apology from a drunken Naruto worth as much as when he was sober? But then, maybe this was too good of an opportunity to pass up- he had quite a long list of things to apologize for himself.

"Hey, Naruto," Sasuke murmured, petting his head, running his fingers through the ends of his hair. "You know it was _my_ fault last time, don't you? When I left the hospital. It was wrong of me."

"I was pushing you," Naruto protested, nudging into his shoulder, his voice muffled. "I kept pushing and pushing for you to talk to people, make friends, choose an apartment, agree to missions…"

Yes, that was true, and Sasuke had gotten very over that, _very_ fast. "Well, what were you _supposed_ to do, just let me lay there and do nothing?" he said, thinking about how he'd been spending those days. "You were getting your new arm and finding somewhere to live, you were moving on, and I-" he stopped. No, he couldn't say all that. Even if he knew for sure that Naruto wouldn't remember.

"And?" Naruto prompted.

 _And I_ _ **hated**_ _you for it_ , he thought to himself. _I didn't want things to change._ "It just…that wasn't what _I_ wanted. Missions and things. Doing things just for Konoha's approval."

"I know," Naruto said with a sad little noise. "I don't even know why now, I just, I remember thinking at the time…I can't be Hokage with only one arm, and so I- that's so ridiculous, isn't it? And then you came back and I thought I could have all of that, and I could have _you_ too, but you keep fighting me…"

Sasuke sighed. He knew now that he _couldn't_ push Naruto away, no matter how awful he was to him, no matter what he did…how many times had he taken advantage of that? _And he just keeps coming back for_ _ **more**_ _..._

"And you…you are the only one who understands," Naruto went on, "why we have to be strong, be powerful, no-one else really gets it, what it feels like being lonely, being…"

 _Being_ _ **hurt**_ , Sasuke thought. No, no-one got it, Sasuke hadn't even been sure that Naruto himself did, until this very moment.

"Naruto," he murmured, after a few moments of silence had passed. "I've been _awful_ to you. I don't even know how to- Naruto?" he asked, when the blonde suddenly got a lot heavier on his shoulder. _Oh my god_ , Sasuke thought, mentally sighing. The idiot had passed out. Really? _Now_? What kind of moron falls unconscious during such a serious discussion?!

He got to his feet and hauled Naruto up as well, throwing him over his shoulder and heading to his room. Naruto would never live this down, he was sure of it.

* * *

Once Kakashi was gone they both turned to stare at Naruto. The tower was sending them on this mission under false pretences. This could go very, _very_ badly.

" _What_ ," Naruto said, scowling at them. "Yeah, I _know_ , okay, this is a terrible idea and we should just tell them-"

Sakura stood up. "We should train some more," she said. "Right now. Let's at least see where you're at today."

Naruto turned an astonishing shade of green at that and slumped back on the couch. "Uh, I don't think that's such a good idea…"

Sakura growled. "Honestly, Naruto! Why did you choose _now_ of all times to get your first hangover!"

Sasuke couldn't have agreed more. Of course, if Naruto wasn't currently going through this bizarre chakra-draining situation, he wouldn't have been able to get drunk in the first place.

" _Hey_!" Naruto protested, "I didn't know they were gonna send us off on this crazy mission, did I?!"

Sakura sighed and gave them both a disapproving look, much to Sasuke's annoyance. What did _he_ do, honestly? "Fine, go back to bed, but I'll be back in the afternoon for a training session. Okay?"

"…okay," Naruto said, looking both exhausted and resigned.

She rolled her eyes, took the mission notes from the coffee table, and stormed out of the apartment.

Naruto stared at Sasuke, looking supremely sorry for himself.

Sasuke just smirked. "Okay, sunshine, let's get you to bed!" he said, pulling Naruto off the couch and manoeuvring him down the hall.

"I have _never_ felt this horrible," Naruto declared, as he slumped over Sasuke's shoulders and stumbled along beside him. "And that green drink was _awful_ …"

"I believe you," Sasuke said to that. They arrived at Sasuke's room and he pushed Naruto down to the mattress, settling the blankets around his shoulders.

Naruto sighed in relief, snuggling down into the pillows and snatching Mr. Roary to his chest. "I'm never drinking _again_ ," he declared.

"An excellent idea," Sasuke said, frowning at the sight of the shabby dino in the arms of someone who could throw up at any time.

Sasuke sat there on the edge of the bed staring down at Naruto's miserable face, and wondered if he really _had_ forgotten everything he'd said last night. And did sober Naruto still feel the same about everything as drunk Naruto did?

"Hey, Naruto…" he murmured, as he piled some extra blankets over the blonde and carefully, subtly removed Mr. Roary from his grasp. "Last night you said something- you probably don't remember- about…about when I was gone from the village and you were…coming after me-"

"It was wrong," Naruto said, interrupting, and staring straight up at Sasuke. "I knew you had things you needed to do, but I didn't even _care_. I was just being selfish because _I_ wanted you back here."

Sasuke felt something inside him shift; felt something fall into place. "Naruto-"

"No, wait," Naruto interjected again. "I kept telling myself it was for your own good, or because I made a promise to Sakura, but that wasn't it at all. And now I'm trying to make you stay here, even though you _hate_ it. I- I'm sorry, Sasuke. I just want you to be happy. That's all- _really_."

Sasuke was astonished. So all he'd said last night, he'd _meant_ it? It almost sounded like he _understood_ , like he was admitting that Sasuke's feelings were valid. That was…remarkable. What had happened to bring on this change?

Of course, Sasuke hadn't done some pretty messed-up stuff in his time as well.

"I'm sorry, too," he said. "Sorry for-" Sorry for what, exactly? For _leaving_ , all those years ago? For leaving the hospital last year? For trying to kill him- more than once? For breaking his heart? For smashing his happy, cosy image of Konoha? "…for….for everything," he finally concluded.

Naruto stared back at him, his eyes dark and serious. "You're saying sorry?" he remarked, his voice incredulous.

"You said sorry _first_ ," Sasuke growled.

Naruto blinked. "Yeah, I guess I…no, well, I just don't even know what to do with that…does it even change anything?!"

Well, of course it did! Naruto _understood_ , he got it, that meant everything-

"You're still going to leave," Naruto murmured.

…oh.

"Go to sleep," he ordered. "We've got training to do this afternoon."

"…okay," he said. "Um, Sasuke…"

"What?" Sasuke asked, wary.

"Can I…have the dinosaur back…?"

Sasuke frowned. "You threw up on my rug-"

"I won't throw up on him, I promise!" Naruto declared, and he looked so earnest that Sasuke gave him, carefully placing Mr. Roary back in his arms. Naruto's eyes lit up; he smiled and snuggled against him.

Sasuke stood and made to leave the room. He sighed. Here was Naruto in his bed, _again_ ; and _still_ in his apartment- how many days was that now? He really had to find an excuse to kick him out, ASAP.

* * *

 _Coming up next:_ _team 7/Taka leave on their mission and Naruto is tense and anxious for…reasons._

A/N: Omg they COMMUNICATED! Oh, you guys *group hug*. You're both still useless though. *cough* So, what have we learnt? A) Naruto is an emotional drunk, B) Sasuke will give him anything and forgive him for anything if Naruto starts crying and/or flashes those puppy-dog eyes at him, and C) Naruto is finally understanding that his motivations for bringing Sas back to Konoha may not have been 100% pure.

And as for this mission, obviously it's a great idea, everything's gonna go super well.

Five chapters + epilogue to go, a huge THANK YOU to all my regular commenters, I love you guys! And to anyone who has ever commented, I am so grateful, nothing fuels me like hearing what you guys think!


	39. Broken Promises

**Broken Promises (Naruto's POV)**

 _In which team 7/Taka leave on their mission and Naruto is tense and anxious for…reasons._

* * *

Not all shinobi set out on every mission through Konoha's main gates, in the light of day. Plenty of missions required them to leave via more _discrete_ pathways, unseen by the town's citizens and other ninjas. Of course no matter how you looked at it, Naruto wasn't well suited for _those_ kinds of missions.

So it was with more than a little anxiety that he arrived in the dead of night at a disused training ground near the wall, with his mission pack on his back and a feeling of apprehension in his belly. There was no-one else here; either he was early, or he'd gotten the location wrong. He cursed himself for not waiting until later to leave his apartment. Naruto hatred having to leave on missions like this, all in secret, it was _awful_!

He paced around the dark training ground, and was just wondering if he should do some exercises to calm himself down when Sakura abruptly arrived, with the three boys in tow behind her.

"Sakura-chan!" he greeted, relieved. "You're here!"

"And you're _early_ ," she remarked in response. "Amazing! Are you getting more responsible in your old age?"

"Ha," Naruto said to that. He looked past her and frowned, seeing Sasuke and those two boys huddled a little away behind her, speaking quietly to each other. Naruto was _not_ pleased to be spending any more time with them, not pleased at _all_. Look at them, they'd _already_ formed an exclusive little club!

"Let's get going," Sasuke said, turning around to face them and stepping forward. "We should get as far away from Konoha as we can by dawn."

"Just who made _you_ boss," Naruto mumbled. Classic Sasuke, just assuming because he was the _smartest_ that he was in charge.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at that remark. "Why do I feel like we've done all of this before?" he said, shaking his head.

"Probably because we _have_ ," Sakura said. "And don't start, Naruto!"

"I wasn't starting _anything_ ," Naruto protested, resisting the urge to poke his tongue out at Sasuke.

"It's our first mission together, Naruto-kun!" Suigetsu exclaimed with glee, bounding forward and draping himself all over Naruto's shoulders. "Isn't it _exciting_? We should celebrate!"

"I'd rather not," Naruto mumbled at that, trying to extract himself from the boy's grasp and not succeeding. Ugh, what was it with this guy?

Suddenly Suigetsu was forcibly removed off of his shoulders, and Naruto breathed a sigh of relief and stood up straight. There was Juugo, lifting his friend clean off the ground, with Sasuke next to him giving him a disapproving look.

"What did I _just_ say?" Sasuke said to Suigetsu in a low and calm voice, as Juugo dangled him off the ground.

"Don't annoy him," Suigetsu parroted, waving his legs back and forth and trying to wriggle out of Juugo's arms. "But I was just saying hello!"

Juugo carried him back a few good metres before setting him down again and Sasuke shot one last glare in his direction. "That's your first warning," Sasuke said to him, folding his arms across his chest.

Naruto wasn't sure if he should smirk or pout at that. He had _protectors_ , huh. Did he _need_ them? …well, probably.

"Let's get going," Sasuke said again, and this time Naruto didn't argue. He slung his mission pack across his back and stood there meekly, and in the next moment Sasuke nodded, and all five of them jumped up and over the wall, and were on their way.

* * *

Naruto had spent the last few days training as hard as he could- training _furiously_ hard until he almost passed out of exhaustion, falling into bed for a few hours' sleep before getting up and starting again. Falling into his _own_ bed, he should note; Sasuke had finally kicked him out of his apartment after he'd almost thrown up on his precious stuffed dinosaur ( _almost_. He hadn't _actually_ gotten any on the thing- Mr. Growly, was it?- so it was a total over-reaction).

(No, wait, it was Mr. _Roary_. Mr. _Growly_ was Sasuke himself. Obviously.)

Even now as they sped through the trees away from Konoha, Naruto was going through one of Sakura's training exercises, forming balls of glowing energy in front of him and propelling them forward as they moved. Sakura kept pace beside him, throwing a shuriken at them every now and then and causing them to dissipate if Naruto didn't up their chakra at just the right moment.

She grinned at him when he successfully managed to maintain ten of them at once. "You're so dedicated, Naruto," she praised.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan," he said, giving her a tight smile. He'd prefer to be training _properly_. He'd tired himself out so much the past few days that he hadn't had any energy at _all_ to think about- well, _troublesome_ things. Now, though, he couldn't work himself to exhaustion and was stuck thinking about _everything_ , all the things he could do nothing to change.

"Everything okay, Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked, giving him a worried look.

"Yeah," he said back. "Just…you know. It's so _slow_. Making any progress."

She nodded. "I know, but you _are_ getting there. You're at 70% at least today. You'll be okay."

Well, Naruto wasn't so sure about that. But actually, if the chakra issue were _all_ that were worrying him, maybe he'd be okay. It really had been a rough few weeks- a rough few _months_.

He looked ahead for a brief moment to where Sasuke was out in front, leading the way through the forest. His two Taka teammates were flanking him on either side and all three moved smoothly together across the tree branches gracefully, as one unit, like they'd done this a _thousand_ times. He scowled.

"Don't mind them, Naruto," Sakura said, noticing his change of mood. "They can help us, really."

"We don't _need_ them," Naruto declared- something he'd said over and over again ever since they'd gotten this stupid mission. He still couldn't figure out why on _earth_ Kakashi-sensei had sent these two along as well. Why couldn't it have just been him and Sakura and Sasuke? That would have been so nice, just like old times. And instead…

He scowled again.

"They can be surprisingly useful," Sakura told him, "and given your condition-"

"Sakura!" he interjected. "You _just_ said I'm getting better- I'm trying as hard as I can here!"

"I know," she soothed. "I'm just saying- don't let them get to you, okay?"

Naruto growled under his breath. Okay, Juugo wasn't so bad, now that Naruto had spent a little more time around him. He didn't say all that much and he didn't make a fuss about anything, and he was a pretty good cook, which could come in handy.

…but the _other_ one.

Well, there was no point dwelling on it. For whatever incomprehensible reason- probably a side-effect of that damn curse seal- Sasuke had chosen these guys to be a part of his team. _His_ team. Whatever…

Naruto forced himself to stop thinking about it and turned his attention back to his training. He spent the next few hours running through drills with Sakura as they flew through the forest. And whenever they stopped for a brief break, he did as he'd promised and didn't let that idiotic thing fish-guy get to him. Naruto didn't care, not one little bit.

* * *

By dusk the next day they were all starting to get tired; they'd been travelling almost non-stop and at stop speed since they'd left Konoha. But they'd made good progress, and they were now more than three-quarters of the way to the base where they judged they'd find their enemy.

"We should rest here," Sasuke said as they all landed neatly on the ground. At his words, Juugo instantly started putting together a fire, and Suigetsu started pulling out food for dinner. _A well-oiled machine_ , Naruto thought to himself grimly.

"We'll stay here overnight?" Sakura suggested, and Sasuke nodded.

"We should scout the area before we move any closer," he said. "We don't want to go in blind." He pulled a map out of his cloak and he and Sakura started pouring over it.

Naruto dumped his pack on the ground and tried to ignore how completely left-out he was feeling at the moment. Well, let Sasuke and Sakura do all the planning; Naruto knew they were both a million times smarter than him. And if the Taka boys were automatically setting up camp and doing all the hard work, then he should just let them do it. What did it matter?

"So now that we're away from Konoha and Anbu ears," Suigetsu called out from Juugo's fire, "is someone gonna tell us what the hell is wrong with fox-boy here?"

Naruto tensed at once, spinning around to face the fire. What did he just say?! "There's nothing wrong with me!" he said, shocked and outraged. How _dare_ he-!

"Suigetsu," Juugo said, standing up and moving closer to his friend. "It's none of our business-"

"The hell it's _not_ ," Suigetsu said to that. "His chakra's all over the place and he's clearly one step away from a panic attack!"

Naruto's skin pricked all over and he had to resist the urge to tear into the silver-haired brat immediately. What a jerk! " _Hey_!" he scowled, "I-"

"Naruto, stop," Sasuke interrupted, appearing out of nowhere and placing a hand on his arm. He turned to Juugo and Suigetsu. "He got bitten by someone with a curse seal," he explained.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shrieked. "What are you _doing_?! You promised-"

"This could be a dangerous mission, Naruto," Sasuke interrupted, looking mildly irked. "They need to know your limitations."

His _limitations_?! Oh, that _stung_ , the _bastard_.

"A curse seal?" Suigetsu exclaimed, stepping closer and squinting at Naruto suspiciously, as if he thought there was actually one _on_ him. Ugh! "What kind?"

"What _kind_?" Naruto said. "The _bad_ kind!"

Sakura sighed and stepped forward. "It wasn't exactly the same as Sasuke's, but it was clearly Orochimaru's work," she explained. "And it's- damaged Naruto's ability to maintain his chakra levels."

"Sakura!" Naruto whined. Not her too! Why were they all ganging up on him? It was bad enough that this was happening to him at _all_ , that he was having to deal with all this stuff, without everyone knowing about it, without them all _watching_ him, thinking he was about to have a panic attack any minute. Couldn't they just leave him alone? Didn't they understand how _awful_ this was?

Sakura gave him a quick, dark look before continuing. "With training we're getting his chakra levels back up, so the problem is only temporary," she went on.

"You sure about that?" Suigetsu asked, not looking convinced in the slightest. He continued to stare at Naruto and run his eyes all up and down his body, as if Naruto was some kind of _freak_.

Sakura hesitated, exchanging a glance with Sasuke before answering. "I've never seen anything like this, personally. So no, we can't be _completely_ sure, obviously, but…"

Naruto hissed at them all under his breath. Yes, actually, they _were_ sure, he _was_ going to get better and be as good as new in _no_ time.

"The Hokage doesn't know about this?" Juugo asked Sasuke, his voice so low that Naruto could barely hear him. But he could just _see_ the concern and sympathy on his face, and that was terrible.

Sasuke shook his head. "Though honestly, if it weren't for the attack and all the extra work it's created, there's no way we could have kept it a secret," he said. "I'm really surprised no-one's noticed. Just goes to show how much they take for granted," he added with a disapproving shake of his head.

"Damn right," Suigetsu muttered. Then he turned to Naruto, looking him right in the eyes. "Okay, well, what kind of training have you been doing? Because we had these exercises back in Mist-"

Oh, no, there was no way _that_ was happening! "I don't need _your_ help," Naruto growled, shooting him a look. This was _mortifying_. As if Naruto would ever turn to _him_!

"Naruto, hush," Sakura said to him. "He's just trying to help you-"

"Well, I don't need it!" Naruto scowled. "Or _want_ it!"

"Right, because you've got the luxury of time and choice right now, do you, fox boy?" Suigetsu said to that, crossing his arms across his chest and smirking. "Come on, I'm sure the stuff we do with the kiddies in Mist would be _perfect_ -"

"Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed. "Make him stop!"

Sasuke sighed and stood in front of Suigetsu, physically separating the two of them. "Let's just leave it for now," he said, his voice calm and low like before. "We all need to eat, and rest."

"I won't _ever_ need his help," Naruto muttered. As if he ever would! "Look at him, so gleeful! He has no _idea_ what this feels like-"

"The hell I don't!" Suigetsu interrupted, and his whole expression changed at once, going rigid with fury. "I don't know what it _feels_ like? To have your chakra supressed? Tell him, Sasuke, tell him where you found me-"

Sasuke turned and silenced him at once with a look. "Yes, I know, okay? Just- _leave_ him, would you? Juugo," he said, turning to the other one.

Juugo nodded and took Suigetsu's arm, tugging at him until he relented and walked away, back towards the fire, Suigetsu shooting him dark looks the whole time.

Naruto was _fuming_. "Sasuke, you promised! How could you tell them?!" If they'd come this far, gone this long, without having to involve other people- why _now_? And why _them_? Of all the people he could have told- did this really just prove it then? Sasuke had no secrets from his real teammates. He _trusted_ them, even with other people's secrets.

Sasuke shot him a deadly look. "They already knew something was wrong with you, moron. And now we're out here by ourselves- take this a bit more seriously already, would you? Honestly!"

Naruto growled again. Oh, how _dare_ he. "I _am_ taking it seriously! Don't you think I know how dangerous this is?! I-"

"Okay, enough!" Sakura interjected, stepping between them and holding her arms out. "We're on a mission, this has to _stop_. We're tired and hungry and we all need a break, so just leave it okay? Naruto?"

"I'll stop if _they_ will," he sulked.

"They will," Sasuke promised. And with that he turned and walked back to his team, leaving him and Sakura alone on their side of the clearing.

* * *

Naruto sat sulking in the darkness, leaning up against a tree-trunk on top of his sleeping bag. He was meant to be resting, but he was in no mood for that. He watched as Sasuke and Sakura conversed across the clearing, and then in the next moment, Sakura and Suigetsu took off up into the trees. They were on the first scouting shift, apparently. Well, great.

Sasuke came over to Naruto's tree and sat down cautiously next to him. "You need to calm down," he said quietly. "You're way too tense."

Naruto glared at him. "I'm just _fine_ ," he hissed.

Sasuke chose not to respond that. "Juugo's taking the first watch over camp, so you can sleep."

Naruto knew there was no way he'd be able to do _that_. Every time he'd tried lately, unless he was completely exhausted, he'd keep getting these… _images_ , and memories in his head. He still couldn't properly remember that night he'd foolishly decided to try getting drunk, but little bits of it were coming back. He was pretty sure he'd been crying at some stage. How _embarrassing_.

"Sasuke," he mumbled, "what did he mean before? About, you know, where you found him?"

Sasuke blinked, looking surprised. "Suigetsu? You know he was one of Orochimaru's experiments. He was being confined in a tank at the time. Whatever liquid it was filled with stopped him from using most of his jutsus. It can't have been…pleasant."

Naruto was confused. "But in the war, all of you- that girl too- you were _working_ with him, weren't you? You brought him back!"

"Yeah," Sasuke said. "It was…necessary."

He frowned. "But if that creep had been _experimenting_ on him, how could Suigetsu stand to be around him? How could- how could…" _How could_ _ **you**_ _stand to be around him? You_ _ **killed**_ _him, and then brought him back?_ No, Naruto couldn't get his head around it at all.

Sasuke shrugged. "It's hard to explain, what it was like back then. Not all of it was, well…I don't know, I really don't think you'd understand."

Naruto tensed. That wasn't fair. He _would_ understand, if Sasuke would just _talk_ to him about it, explain it. He always just assumed that Naruto was too stupid to get it. It wasn't _fair_ ; weren't they _friends_?

"Get some sleep, Naruto," Sasuke murmured.

Naruto shook his head. "I…can't," he said. "I'll just stay awake. It's fine."

Sasuke glanced at him, his expression unreadable. "Like I said, you're too worked up. Tell me what's bothering you, and then go to sleep."

 _Like it's that easy_ , Naruto thought to himself. What's bothering him? How about _everything_? How last year he'd had a _home_ , people he loved and who loved him back, and now he didn't think he'd ever be able to look at them the same. And it didn't make _sense_ ; he'd known for _years_ now what Konoha had done to Sasuke's family. But he'd been able to explain that away. And when he'd been a child, and they'd all ignored him, well- _that_ could all be explained too. He'd had a _demon_ in him, after all.

"You shouldn't have said all that stuff to me," Naruto said to Sasuke, growling under his breath. "About- about Konoha."

"I know it was hard to hear," Sasuke said. "And I'm…sorry about that, really. I shouldn't have snapped at you the way I did."

Something flickered in the back of Naruto's mind. If only he could remember everything that had happened that night. Who knew what else he'd said? Maybe they'd already _had_ this conversation, and more besides. Naruto had certainly been thinking about it a lot.

"I guess I already knew it all anyway," Naruto said. And to hear Sasuke saying sorry to him now…it was really something. And the other day when Sasuke had tucked him up into bed after that meeting, and they'd spoken a bit…it had been such a weight of his shoulders. But ultimately it didn't make any of it any easier to deal with. Sasuke had still left him, _twice_ ; Konoha was still the same place it had always been.

"This isn't like you," Sasuke spoke, his voice so quiet that Naruto could barely hear him. "What can I do to…snap you out of it…"

 _Snap me out of it?_ Just turn it all off, just like that? "I'm gonna go to bed," Naruto muttered, shuffling down in his sleeping bag and turning his back to Sasuke. "Wake me if I need to go on watch."

He felt Sasuke sit there for a while, felt Sasuke's eyes on him, but eventually he heard him stand and move away.

What was the point of it all, really? Yes, he understood now just how awful it was for Sasuke in Konoha- he _accepted_ it. He _understood_ , and he wasn't going to make Sasuke stay somewhere that made him miserable. So where did that leave _them_? Because he just knew- he knew, he could sense it, he could see it on Sasuke's face; he was preparing to say goodbye. No matter what happened on this mission, it wasn't going to end well for Naruto.

* * *

Time passed slowly in the quiet clearing. Naruto could see that Juugo was still sitting peacefully with his back to the fire, gazing out into the woods around them. Sakura and Suigetsu weren't back yet; they'd probably be patrolling for hours. And who knew what _Sasuke_ was doing, not that he cared.

Naruto let out a frustrated breath. He just couldn't sleep- not at _all_. He shifted, feeling anxious and ill at ease, and distracted himself by playing with the frayed red ribbon he'd tied around his wrist; tugging at the ends of it, running his fingers over the surface. A nervous habit he'd picked up lately.

He heard footsteps behind him, and he quickly pulled his sleeve back over his wrist before turning over. He narrowed his eyes, seeing Sasuke dragging his own sleeping bag over the ground towards him. "What are you doing?" Naruto called out, feeling wary.

"Helping you," Sasuke said simply to that. He set up right next to Naruto and lay down like it was nothing, shifting over until they were side-by-side; and then he reached out and looped an arm around Naruto's waist.

" _Hey_!" Naruto squeaked, as Sasuke pulled him over. He was so surprised that he offered no resistance, and Sasuke had no problem manoeuvring him across the ground until they were _touching_. "What are you- the others will _see_ -"

"Go to sleep," Sasuke ordered, ignoring his squeal of protest. He settled himself down on Naruto's shoulder, snuggling there against his side. "You need to switch off for a while."

Switch _off_?! With Sasuke all over him like this?! "But Sasuke-"

"It helps _me_ ," he interrupted. He shifted around and looked up at him, his eyes dark, his expression calm, like it was no big deal, like this was the sort of thing they just did. "And don't worry about the others. Who cares? _They_ certainly don't."

Naruto frowned. Okay, he couldn't deny it; it _did_ feel nice with Sasuke next to him, cuddled against his chest. Just the familiar touch and scent of him was already calming him down, making the woods around them disappear. "But-"

"It's fine," Sasuke interjected. He slid his arm back over Naruto's stomach to take his hand, lacing their fingers together. "Go to sleep."

"You're not gonna try anything, are you?" Naruto asked, still wary and tense, and now with a touch of heat pooling in his stomach. But that would _clearly_ be inappropriate, and certainly not something that Naruto had _ever_ fantasised about, having Sasuke up against him under the sleeping bag-

Sasuke scoffed and kicked his shins. "Down, boy," he said, his voice light and amused. "We're just _sleeping_ , okay?"

"…okay," Naruto finally agreed, with reluctance. Well, he could give it a _try_ , he supposed. He really didn't see how it was meant to help though. His mind was just too full to relax. And just how powerful did Sasuke think he was? As if just coming over here and lying next to him was going to-

-and then the next thing he knew, he was opening his eyes to a bright new morning, with Sakura grinning down at them both.

* * *

 _Coming up next:_ _Sasuke watches Naruto sleep like a creep, and then gets punished for it later by Naru's clones. And also one other thing happens._

A/N: Awwww Sasu-kins, *melts* you're being so nice! …hang on, WHY? *suspicious*… (p.s. see Chapter 22 if you missed the reference to the red ribbon!)


	40. Letting Him Go

**Letting Him Go (Sasuke's POV)**

 _In which Sasuke watches Naruto sleep like a creep, and then gets punished for it later by Naru's clones and also one other thing happens._

A/N: Wahhhh you guys are so amazing, you understand Naruto so well! He's being SUCH a brat and making bad decisions because of his weakened state. Poor baby bases so much of his self-worth on his physical power. So of course we had to take it away from him to give him some character growth…like we had to show Sasuke that someone ELSE might take Naruto if he didn't claim him…and yet, both our boys stilllll hadn't gotten to where they need to be.

…um. So yeah, about this chapter…*runs away*

* * *

Not only had Naruto fallen asleep _instantly_ , he'd fallen into a very, very _deep_ sleep. Within minutes he'd shifted over to nestle against Sasuke's side, arms gripping his waist tight, legs tangling with his. Naruto called this _cuddling_ , and he claimed to like it- a _lot_ \- but Sasuke wasn't convinced. It felt more like a death-grip. But at least he was _sleeping_.

For a while Sasuke lay there in silence, watching the way Naruto's nose twitched every now and then, and how his eyelids fluttered sometimes; he spent a good twenty minutes trying to decipher whatever the moron was mumbling about in his sleep, before he finally decided it was _ramen_.

 _Better enjoy it while it lasts_ , a voice said in the back of his head. Sasuke sighed, and shifted a little under Naruto's heavy body.

Sasuke was not entirely confident that this mission would wipe out _Ryuu_ completely, but he _did_ think it would eliminate the immediate threat to Konoha. And they'd basically finished cataloguing all the archives already, and everything had been moved to the most secure storage facilities that Konoha had. Really, they were almost done.

"Juugo," he murmured, turning his face a little so he could see his friend over across the clearing. "When Kakashi offered to make you two...what, Konoha _citizens_? Did he really mean it?"

Juugo looked over at him from where he was sitting cross-legged by the fire, and took a moment to answer to Sasuke's question. "I believe so," he eventually said, in his light and unassuming voice.

And that was _weeks_ ago. Sasuke just couldn't imagine what had motivated Kakashi to make such an offer; did he even have the authority to do so, without permission from the council? They certainly wouldn't like it. "And there weren't any- conditions, anything like that?"

His friend gazed back at him, his face expressionless as always. "The offer was not conditional on you staying in Konoha," he said to that.

Sasuke winced. Juugo knew him too well. Was it self-centred of him, to suspect that was why the offer had been made? Kakashi hadn't been as- well, _forceful_ \- in his efforts to keep Sasuke in Konoha as Naruto had been, but Sasuke suspected he felt much the same.

"Is it really something the two of you would consider?" Sasuke asked. It seemed unthinkable to him that after everything he'd said about Konoha to them both, the efforts he'd gone to _destroy_ it, that they could have any positive feelings about the village at all.

Juugo was silent for a while, seeming to consider that thought. "...yes," he said. "But we would not stay there, without you."

Sasuke bit back a sigh at that. Even after Konoha had kept him and Suigetsu locked up for the past week, they still wanted to stay? But in the end, it was up to him; it was _his_ responsibility, his decision. "I know it's not terribly logic," Sasuke began, "why I...why I hate it so much...most of the people there, not even Kakashi, they had nothing to do with..."

…with…no, he couldn't say it, even now; couldn't talk about it, even with Juugo- who was the least judgemental, most empathetic person he had ever met. Sasuke didn't think he could _ever_ come to terms with what Konoha had done to his family- to his whole clan. It was too massive, too soul-consuming.

"The elders on the council. They knew. They helped with the plan," Juugo said, half a statement, half a question.

"...yes," Sasuke said. Yes, he was sure of that.

Juugo nodded. "They won't live forever," he said to that, in the same tone of voice he used to discuss everything.

Sasuke frowned, confused. He wasn't quite sure how to respond to _that_ sentiment. "I suppose not."

"There is much in Konoha that must change," Juugo went on.

Well, _that_ was an understatement. For one thing, Kakashi relied way too heavily on the Anbu to get things done. Perhaps that was to be expected- he'd been one of them for so long, after all- but doing everything in secret like that, behind closed doors, no questions asked...a village couldn't be run like that forever.

And really it was a wonder that anything non-shinobi related ever got done at _all_. There was still so much rebuilding to do, so many decisions to make, funds to be distributed. A lot of requests and planning documents had been dumped on Sasuke's desk over the past few months, and even _he_ could see that Konoha was being governed poorly- well, inefficiently, at least.

But maybe that wasn't the kind of thing Juugo was talking about. "What would _you_ change, Juugo?" he asked his friend, curious.

"...there are too many strays," Juugo promptly answered. "I would take care of them."

Sasuke blinked. _Strays_? An image of a ramshackle building with _Juugo's Pet Orphanage_ marked on the front flashed through his mind. How...fitting. Sasuke bit back a grin. Juugo had looked so serious when he's said that. So, that was what he dreamt about, huh?

 _At least he has dreams_ , Sasuke thought to himself, unable to get the image of Juugo surrounded by shabby cats and dogs out of his mind. Maybe one day he'd let him pick up some strays. Maybe one day they'd all settle down. It wouldn't be in _Konoha_ , though.

* * *

Sasuke tried to sleep after that, but found he just couldn't relax with Naruto clinging to him the way he was. At least he was _warm_ ; they were halfway through winter, after all, so Sasuke didn't mind the extra heat. He _did_ mind the elbows jabbing into his stomach and the awkward angle he had to force his arms into to accommodate this guy. He probably should have just pushed him off, but- well, who needed sleep?

He spent some more time talking with Juugo and going over the mission notes in his head, and then he took over the camp's watch for a few hours. Finally, a few hours before dawn, Juugo woke and took the watch back from him and he fell into a light and fitful sleep.

The next thing he knew, he was waking up to the sight of a highly amused Sakura, staring down at him with a huge grin on her face.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun," she sang, her hands clasped together in childish delight at the sight on the ground in front of her. "Did you know that Naruto is drooling on your shoulder? Couples are so _sweet_!"

Sasuke shot up at once at those words, shoving the unconscious dead-last off him and letting him slump to the ground. "You can't be _serious_ ," he muttered, when he found that Sakura's words were indeed true. That _idiot_! He grabbed Naruto's sleeping bag off of him and started wiping wildly at his shoulder.

"Well, at least you got him to sleep!" Sakura remarked, still grinning widely. "Good job, Sasuke-kun!"

"Yeah, good job Sasuke-kun!" Suigetsu called out from across the clearing, leering over at them.

Sasuke sighed and got to his feet, dropping the sleeping bag and giving the still-sleeping moron a not-too-gentle kick in the stomach. "Wake up, dead-last!" he hissed down at the ground. They had a lot to do today!

Naruto groaned and whimpered, shivering in the cold air that was suddenly all around him, before he finally opened his eyes. "…Sakura?" he croaked, staring up at them both. "Where'd my blanket go?"

"You were drooling on it, so he kicked you away," Sakura said to Naruto, her voice betraying just how amusing she found it all. "Sleep well, did you?"

Naruto blushed furiously and tried to hide behind Sasuke's legs. Sasuke rolled his eyes at that; what was the point in feeling _embarrassed_? Sakura had seen worse than the two of them asleep next to each other, honestly. "…I _did_ , actually!" Naruto squeaked up at Sakura. "I slept super well!"

" _Good_ ," Sakura said. "Because you and I are on patrol duty all day!"

"You?" Sasuke asked, eyes narrowing in concern. "But you've been out all night." And what a kindness that had been; Sasuke didn't think that Naruto would have lasted another _minute_ with Suigetsu around.

"I got a few hours' sleep before dawn," Sakura said to that, waving off his concern. "You probably wouldn't have noticed. You were _busy_."

He scoffed. Busy being buried under a blonde moron. And annoyingly, he felt more tired now than he had before he'd gone to sleep. None of last night had been for _his_ benefit, evidently. Sasuke was just far too generous; too generous for his own good.

"Well, how did it go last night anyway? Did you find any sign of the enemy?" he asked, in an un-subtle attempt to change the subject.

"Oh, they're around here alright!" Suigetsu called out to him, his voice _far_ too loud and jarring for first thing in the morning. "There must be _heaps_ of them holed up in that base, we can wipe 'em all out at once!"

 _That would be much too easy_ , Sasuke thought to himself. There was no chance that the whole _Ryuu_ forces had regrouped in one single location. They weren't stupid, and that would be an extremely stupid thing to do. If _Ryuu_ was _his_ organisation, he would have scattered everyone as far and wide as possible, to give them all chance to recover before attacking again.

Still, Sasuke intended that this mission would seriously damage them, whether the majority of their forces were at that base or not. "Let's have breakfast," he said, standing up and stretching out.

"Here, Sasuke," Juugo said to that, passing him a plate of food as he approached the fire.

"We've leaving in five minutes," Sakura said to Naruto behind him. "We need to get back on patrol as soon as possible. I want to see if anything has changed."

Naturally, Naruto started whining about this immediately. "But I gotta have breakfast!" he exclaimed to Sakura. "And get dressed, _and_ pack my bag, _and_ take a leak-"

"Five minutes!" she interrupted, putting on her obey-me voice. "And do you know how long it took me to wake you up? _Honestly_ Naruto, letting yourself sleep that soundly on a _mission_?"

Sasuke wondered at that. So it really _had_ worked; he'd managed to put the moron to sleep. Well, good. He'd clearly needed the rest. …even if Sakura _did_ make a good point about them being on a mission.

"Sasuke, Sasuke!" Suigetsu remarked, sitting down next to him by the fire. "Guess what? I saw _squirrels_ in the woods!"

"That's…excellent," Sasuke said, giving him an odd look. Squirrels, huh? You'd think after all the time he'd spent with Juugo, he'd be used to having all kinds of animals around.

"He took some caffeine pills," Juugo said to him, handing him a second serve of breakfast. "We think it was an accident."

Ah, right. Yes, that would explain it. He'd probably thought they were some kind of _candy_.

"And Sasuke, the squirrels!" Suigetsu went on. "They were _having_ _sex_ ," he said in a loud whisper, a conspiratorial look on his face.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Yes, excellent," he repeated. "So you're probably not going to sleep for hours now, are you?"

"Sleep? Who needs _sleep_?" he said, with a disturbingly wide grin on his face.

Sakura appeared next to them and crouched down to bundle some food up in a pouch. "We'll eat while we patrol," she said. "I'll have Naruto send some clones out so we can cover more ground, so expect some of them to stop by with updates every now and then."

Sasuke nodded. "Be careful," he said. "They'll know we're here now, probably. There might be traps in the woods."

"Oh, we found some!" Suigetsu said to that, looking excited. "They were so cool!"

He sighed. "Yeah, okay. Just be careful, Sakura."

"Always," she said, standing up and looking over to where Naruto was rapidly stuffing all his belongings into his pack. "See you soon."

Sasuke looked past her and that from across the clearing, Naruto was giving him a _look_. Sasuke sighed and stood, going over to him. "Yes?" he said.

"Um," Naruto said back, shifting back and forth. "Um, thank you for…last night. I was more wound up than I thought. I feel a lot better now."

Sasuke nodded. "Good. As long as it helped."

"Uh, yeah," Naruto said to that, with a weird look. "Well, I guess I've done stuff for you, just to help out."

And what did he mean by _that_? He frowned. "Naruto-"

"Anyway, looks like Sakura will be keeping me busy all day! See you tonight okay, Sasuke?" Naruto interrupted, smiling at him; a tight, forced smile that made Sasuke feel very uneasy.

"…right, tonight," he said, hesitating a bit. "…be careful."

Naruto laughed under his breath. "Oh, of course," he said, and then he moved off to where Sakura was waiting for him, and with a quick wave they both disappeared into the trees.

* * *

"Sasuke," Juugo asked, as the three of them sat back down after clearing away breakfast. "How sure are you that Naruto will recover completely?"

Sasuke hesitated to answer that. Truthfully, all he and Sakura had to go on were guesses and theories. Who knew for _sure_? They _hoped_. He certainly seemed to be improving, slowly but surely. They still hadn't tested his more advanced jutsus, which really worried him; but there'd be time for that, later on.

"…he's recovering," he said in response to Juugo's question. "We can't know any more than that, really. He's training hard. Hopefully that will be enough."

"Why haven't you told the Hokage?" Juugo went on.

Sasuke let out a frustrated sigh. "He doesn't want anyone else to know," he explained. "Surely you know what he's like by now. Hero complex. He wants to defend the whole _world_ by himself, and he thinks that if he _can't_ …people won't love him."

Which was of course ridiculous. Sasuke had heard stories of what Naruto had done in the war, and he'd heard what people said about him now. Yes, his physical strength was impressive, but that wasn't all that people admired him for. …how tiresome, being a hero. Thank goodness _he_ didn't have to put up with that.

"Sasuke," Suigetsu said, drawing Sasuke's attention back to him. "Why don't you just ask Orochi-"

" _Don't_!" Sasuke shot at him, whipping around to scowl at him. "How many times have I told you?!" The _idiot_.

Suigetsu pouted. "There's no-one even around-"

"Doesn't matter," Sasuke said to that. "And can you know that for sure? There could _always_ be people listening or watching. So keep your mouth _shut_!"

Suigetsu's pout deepened. "I'm just trying to help _your_ boyfriend," he protested. "If he wants to be an idiot and not tell the Hokage that's his business, but _you_ should at least ask someone who could probably actually _help_!"

"He does have a point, Sasuke," Juugo said to that.

Sasuke growled. "Well, it's not an option," he said. "So we can stop talking about it. He's getting better, he will _continue_ to get better, and everything will be _fine_. Got that?"

"Yeah, sure, everything will be fine," Suigetsu said. "Sounds like you've got it all figured out. Great plan."

It's not like it was _his_ idea to keep it such a secret! But what else could he _do_? He'd made a promise, and Naruto already thought he'd broken it by telling these two. He wasn't going to make it worse.

* * *

By noon, Naruto's clones were stopping by every now and then with updates: any tracks they'd found, traps they'd discovered, supplies they'd found hidden away. Naruto had sent a group of clones as close to the base as they dared, and confirmed that there were a decent amount of people inside; just _how_ many, they couldn't be sure.

Sasuke sat leaning on a tree, pouring over maps and notes, adding little notations each time the clones came back with more information. There were very clear pathways through the forest appearing on his map, which showed that the group was moving to and from the base regularly.

Sasuke could tell that Naruto was getting stronger every minute, just by the sheer number of clones that were trawling through the forest at the moment. It was ferociously annoying, all those little sparks of chakra buzzing around. He did his best to ignore them.

As the day went on, though, more and more of the clones were just sticking around camp instead of going back out- the lazy things.

"Get back to work," Sasuke said to them grumpily; there were five of them here now. They'd already made their report- they had no reason to be here!

"You're not the boss of us," one of the clones cheekily remarked, crouching down in front on him and grinning at him; Naruto's grin, in theory, but Sasuke could tell the difference. "Just you _try_ giving us orders and see what happens!"

"I'll tell you what's going to happen," Sasuke muttered, shifting away from the imitation-Naruto. Honestly, how could any respectable ninja have so little control over their own clones?!

"I'd _happily_ let him give _me_ orders," said another clone, coming over to join them. "Mm _yes_ , I think that would be-"

"Oh my god," Sasuke muttered. "Shut them up, Naruto, _now_!"

All five of them were hanging around him now. He stood and moved away from them, snatching up his papers and going over toward where Juugo was making lunch. How was anyone meant to get any work done around here?

"That'd make for a fun night," Suigetsu said to Juugo, and Sasuke flushed slightly red.

"You stay out of it," Sasuke said to his annoying friend. "Don't- don't _encourage_ them."

"Hey Sasuke, can you really tell us apart from the original?" the clones asked, following just behind him.

"Of course," he shot back. "And we're on a mission, dead-last, get this lot sorted out now," he added, staring one right in the eyes and glaring.

They all started laughing. "Oh, he likes it," one of them said, draping himself over Sasuke's shoulders and poking his cheek. "He likes being able to see you!"

"Oh, I like these guys," Suigetsu remarked. "Can we keep them? They're so much more cheerful than the real one!"

They all pouted. "We're _just_ as real as him!" they protested in unison.

"Are you sure?" Suigetsu asked. "Won't you disappear if we hit you?"

"You gotta hurt us real bad before we'll go away!" one explained with glee.

"Ah, so you'd have to be gentle," Suigetsu said, looking contemplative. "No rough-play. Well, that limits things..."

Sasuke sighed as two more draped themselves over him as well. He slumped down under their weight, scowling. Oh, that was _enough_ ; there were plenty of other clones in the forest, Naruto wouldn't miss theses ones. There was no reason why Sasuke couldn't do some target practice.

"Mmm, he smells _so_ good," one clone remarked to another with a happy sigh. "Why don't we get to play with him more often? Boss is so _selfish_!"

"Have you felt his hair? It's like silk!" said another, running his fingers all over Sasuke's head, much to his annoyance. Sasuke would count to ten, and if they were still pawing him by then, he was going to-

"Why are you wasting time on his _hair_?" the third said, and Sasuke hissed when he suddenly felt three pairs of hands creeping down his back.

"That is _enough_!" he growled, prepping a chidori in his hands and glaring at them. "Naruto! If you can't keep them under control, I'll take care of them _myself_ , moron!"

The clones jumped off him and started dancing around him, grinning and laughing. "Which one first, Sasuke?" they teased.

 ** _All_** _of them_ , Sasuke thought, _I can get all of them at once, just you see!_

-but then all of a sudden all five popped out of existence at once with a puff of smoke, before Sasuke had even done anything.

He blinked and stood up straight, surprised. Had Naruto dispelled them, just like that? Was he running out of chakra? …figures.

"That was impressive, Sasuke!" Suigetsu called out. "I always said you could kill people with that glare of yours!"

Well, it hadn't been his _glare_. Sasuke frowned. It…and it wasn't just _these_ clones, either. _All_ those little sparks across the forest had suddenly disappeared, all at the same time. He was actually feeling a little dizzy from the sudden absence in his mind, he'd never felt anything like it. _That was not a nice trick, Naruto!_ he thought with a scowl.

What was the deal? He'd just run out of energy, gotten bored, wanted to try something new? What was he _doing_ , the idiot, he- he…

Sasuke froze. Wait, Naruto wasn't doing _anything_. He wasn't-

"Sasuke? What's wrong?" Juugo called out to him.

Sasuke ignored him. He didn't know what was wrong, but Naruto, he couldn't _feel_ Naruto, he'd just- _disappeared_ , what the _hell_ had just happened?!

Sasuke felt all his blood run cold in a split second and he suddenly found it hard to breath. This was _bad_ , it was really bad, what had happened, where _was_ he?! Had _Ryuu_ found him? Sasuke couldn't think, he couldn't-

He felt a hand on his arm. "Shit, Sasuke, what is it?"

He shook off the arm and took off running, straight in the direction where he'd felt Naruto last. When had that even been?! He might have _moved_ , Sasuke had been distracted, damn those clones! He looked around him as he moved through the trees, aware he had his sharingan activated, but not quite knowing when he'd done that. It didn't matter. Where was he?!

 _He's gone_ , Sasuke thought, feeling himself slip into a blind panic as he moved closer and closer to where Naruto had been, and he still got no sense of him at _all_ , he couldn't- wait, _there_ , over there. It wasn't Naruto, but it was _someone_ -

-Sakura.

Sakura, lying on the ground, covered in blood with a kunai piercing her thigh. Sasuke rushed to her side and knelt down, taking her shoulders and shaking her hard. " _Sakura_!" he cried out, seeing her white face and her lifeless body and fearing the worst. "Sakura, damn it, wake up!"

Her eyes fluttered open and she stared up at him blankly, confused, empty; then she started coughing and she pulled away from him, falling into a defensive crouch, reaching down and tearing the kunai from her leg. "Naruto, _where_ is Naruto?!" she shrieked at him, demanding, pure terror in her eyes.

He was frozen, he couldn't move. …no, no, he- he was…he'd been _right_ here.

"Sasuke!" Sakura shrieked again, and-

Sasuke took off running again, not even knowing which way he was going now, searching and searching desperately, trying to reach out in his mind to grab onto any scrap of his dead-last's chakra for a hint of his location- _where_ _ **are**_ _you, dammit?! Tell me_ _ **now**_ _!_ This just wasn't _possible_ , people just didn't _disappear_ like this!

He heard a blood-curdling scream from behind him and he froze, and then switched directions at once. In another instant he landed beside a still-screaming Sakura, and he followed her gaze and-

-and there was Naruto dangling above them, hanging limp from a tree with a rope around his neck, and in his chest, the largest spider Sasuke had ever seen piercing his body, blood dripping on the ground, and he was _gone_ , and-

* * *

A/N: …and. *cough*. ….*runs away* AHHHHH I'M SO SORRY GUYS NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE OUT SOON I PROMISE!


	41. The End of it All

**The End of it All (Sakura's POV)**

A/N: *wince* ahhhh I'm sorry I left y'll with such a cliff-hanger! *cough* Well I must admit it's been…rather fun reading everyone's responses…anyway! These were hard chapters to write, hopefully you guys like them!

Three more chapters and then the epilogue, and guaranteed two updates a week until the end!

* * *

There was so much _blood_ , just so much of it, pouring down onto the ground beneath him, and as Sakura watched the spider-device in his chest started moving and jabbed one more of its legs right into his lifeless, hanging body and another spurt of blood began flowing down.

She was in shock; she couldn't move. The attack had come out of _nowhere_ , she hadn't felt anything, she hadn't _seen_ anything, until all of a sudden Naruto had been screaming and something hit the back of her head, and then Sasuke-

"Sasuke!" she yelled out again, shaking his shoulders, but his eyes were vacant, as if his soul had left his body. She let him fall from her hands and he slumped to the ground, and the sight of him recoiling next to her snapped her into medic-nin mode and she jumped up.

"Naruto, if you're still alive, I'm going to save you!" she shrieked, jumping up to the tree branch from which he hung and pulling his body up to her. She couldn't feel a single scrap of chakra from him, it was like the Naruto she'd known, that bright, strong, powerful ninja had been snatched away in an instant. But the spider, that spider in his chest, it might be _masking_ his chakra, so there was still a _chance_ , she had to-

She tore the rope into bits with her hands and then jumped back down to the ground, cradling her friend as gently as she could, and then laying him in front of her. She moved down to listen for his breathing, and was just about to lay a hand on his chest when the spider started moving again and she snatched her hand way.

"Get _out_ of him!" she screamed at it; she felt like it was staring straight at her even though it had no- no _eyes_. But as it moved she saw a piece of paper fall from between it and Naruto's body, and she snatched it up. _Remove me and he dies_ , it read.

Her blood ran cold, but even as she read those words, hope sparked up in her. Remove it and _he dies_. He'll die. _He's not dead!_

Sakura's hands flared green and she closed her eyes, concentrating hard, listening, bringing her face right against his mouth until finally, finally she felt the faintest breath touching her cheek, and felt the lightest of heartbeats under her hand.

She burst into tears and threw herself on top of him, even as she prepared to slice into him to keep his heart beating. She'd done it before, she'd do it again, she'd do it as many times as she needed to for her idiotic friend to _live_!

"Sasuke!" she yelled out, "Sasuke, I need you to- _Sasuke_!"

But he was still slumped there, with those empty eyes staring over at them both, wide and dark and disbelieving. No, Sasuke couldn't leave her now, she knew- she just _knew_ \- that there was an attack coming. _Ryuu_ was coming after them, _now_ , and she needed help; she needed to get Naruto back to Konoha to have any chance of saving him.

"Sasuke!" she cried out again; she couldn't move from Naruto's side, she already had her hand inside his chest and was navigating those black metal spikes stuck right into him. She shuddered, but there was no time to think about that- so Sasuke _had_ to get up, he had to find help, he had to be ready to defend them. "Sasuke, snap out of it, _please_!"

"…he's gone," Sasuke murmured, and finally there was a flicker of something in his eyes. Despair.

"Sasuke, _now_!" she screamed at him. "Get on your feet!"

"But he's _gone_ ," he repeated, staring over at her confused, as if he couldn't possibly imagine why she was speaking to him, why she'd be asking him to do _anything_.

"He's not _dead_ , Sasuke, but he _will_ be if you don't do something, _now_! I need your help!" she shrieked at him, and then from the corner of her eye she saw their enemy approaching, a swarm of bodies racing towards them. She felt herself starting to panic, she couldn't do this, she couldn't keep him alive _and_ defend all three of them-

And then Sasuke was crouching on top of them both, his eyes glowing red and swirling, a wall of water all around them, cutting them off from their enemies. "He's _alive_?" Sasuke hissed, and she stared at him, terrified, and all she could do was nod.

Then he was gone, and the wall of water like a dome covered her entirely; she cowered beneath it, soon hearing shouts and screams on the other side. She heard Suigetsu's voice and even Juugo's, and Sasuke's too as he yelled orders at them. But she couldn't think of that now, she had a _job_ to do, she had to keep Naruto alive until they could get him home.

"Naruto, _please_ ," she whimpered, turning back down to him. "Please, you have to help me…" She stared down at his cold, vacant body, at his pale, ashen face, and wanted to start crying again.

He had eight massive wounds in his chest where the spider had stabbed into him, and these she cauterised now, wincing as Naruto's flesh closed around the black spikes. It couldn't be helped; she couldn't remove it, she had to heal _around_ the demonic thing. The spider's legs had stabbed into one of his lungs and smashed several ribs, and there was one grazing right up against his heart.

He needed blood; he'd lost so much, and if he lost any more then there was nothing she could do, nothing at all. And even though she could feel the device spreading tendrils of whisper-thin wires throughout his body, she could do nothing to stop it- it was all she could do to keep him _breathing_.

 _He's going to die here_ , she thought to herself, _and I can't stop it_.

She felt arms around her and she started to scream, until she looked up and saw Juugo wrapping his arms around them both and holding them close. It was only then she noticed that the dome of water around her had disappeared, and she was surrounded by dead bodies. Juugo speed away from the scene with the two of them in his arms, and Sakura tightened her grasp around Naruto's body.

Juugo deposited them both in a small cave- where _were_ they?- and then sped off again without uttering a single word. Sakura watched him go, and then with a flash of gratitude realised that he'd somehow found her medical kit and left it beside them.

 _Thank you, Juugo_ , she thought to herself, as she tore open the bag and desperately searched for anything that would help. Naruto was going into shock, his body cold and starting to tremble. She found a wafer-thin insulating blanket in the kit and wrapped it around him, and placed her jacket under his head. If he kept shaking, she would have to immobilise him with chakra, but she didn't want to waste a single drop. It seemed clear to her that she'd need to start transferring her chakra into him to keep him alive, and who knew how long she'd have to do that for.

 _He needs blood_ , she told herself; it was only then that she remembered that she herself had been stabbed. She glanced down and saw that her thigh was a bloody mess. She couldn't feel any pain from it. She quickly lay a hand over the wound and cleared it up as much as she dared, preserving the majority of her chakra.

Sakura fashioned a make-shift transfusion kit from her supplies and soon had her blood flowing into him. She was a universal donor, so she wasn't worried that her blood would hurt him- but she also knew she didn't have that much to give. _There must be something else I can do,_ she said to herself. _Clones, clones have blood, they can-_

-but no, that was _stupid_ , clone blood was nothing; _come on, Sakura, snap out of it!_

She looked around the cave and saw it was full of birds twittering around, some of them landed on Naruto, some of them staring at her, almost looking _worried_. "There's nothing I can do," she said to them desperately, "we have to get him home, we need to get this thing out of him- an hour, maybe two, I can keep him alive, but after that-"

There was a flurry of feathers as the birds took off, flying out of the cave.

She was starting to feel dizzy by now and she knew she had to stop the transfusion. _A little while longer, just a bit more._ And he was still bleeding, those spikes sticking into him kept moving and rupturing the skin she'd healed. She swayed and almost fell forward. _No, Sakura, that's enough; you'll be no good to him if you pass out._

Very reluctantly she pulled the tubes from both of them and quickly closed the tiny incisions. In a spontaneous decision, she sent raw chakra over the surface of the black spider-device, and thankfully that seemed to immobile it. A small victory.

There was a huge boom from outside the cave and she whipped her head around, squinting out into what she could see of the world beyond. The forest was _burning_ , and she saw a series of explosions going off all in a row. And then there was another boom and high above the trees rose a ghastly sight, as Sasuke's _Susanoo_ towered about the woods, slashing its arms down at enemies unseen below.

Sakura shivered, her eyes glued on the fearsome sight, its devilish face and mock grin; it moved through the forest, tearing up the landscape as it went, and the sound was gut-wrenching. She was terrified that it would approach them by accident; did Sasuke know where they were? Even as she watched the creature screeched and screamed in fury on its rampage through the trees.

 _No, he won't hurt us, I can't think about that_. She forced all of her attention away from the fight and onto the lifeless body in front of her. She shut her ears off from the screams and explosions outside and listened only to Naruto's jagged breathing.

 _Oh, Naruto, please_ , she begged silently; _I can't lose you, not now_. She lay down beside him, pulling the blanket over them both, and started infusing chakra into his pathways as she kept his heart beating. Slowly, cautiously, she sent her chakra into him, knowing he wouldn't survive without it. His whole body was going into shock at the sudden loss of such massive amounts of his own.

But she had never encountered such a device like this, capable of taking away what Naruto had always possessed an abundance of. Even if he _lived_ , even if they managed to remove this hideous device, how could Naruto possibly _survive_ this experience?

* * *

 _"I'm so sorry, Naruto," she said, sitting next to him on the bed, wiping his heated forehead with a cool, damp cloth. He was reacting badly to his new arm and had broken out in a fever; she knew he must be in terrible pain, despite the drugs flowing into him steadily through the IV._

 _"Oh, don't worry about me, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said to that, staring up at her with eyes that were too bright, cheeks that were too pink and flushed. "I feel just fine. And look at me, I've got a right arm again!" He tried to move it and winced._

 _"Don't do that!" Sakura scolded, poking his side in punishment. "It's not even been a whole day since your surgery! Stay still, Naruto, or I will_ _ **make**_ _you stay still. Got it?"_

 _He grinned at her. "Whatever you say, Sakura-sensei. I'm gonna take good care of the arm you made me, just wait and see, I'll be using all my old jutsus and even better ones in no time!"_

 _Of that she had no doubt. But she also knew it would be more difficult and more painful than he could possibly anticipate. She'd tried to tell him, tried to prepare him, but this was_ _ **Naruto**_ _. He'd never been able to take concepts like "pain" and "difficulty" as seriously as he should._

 _"We've got a long road ahead, Naruto," she said to him again. "Lots of training. Lots of check-ups. Maybe more surgery, if things don't go smoothly."_

 _At least all that training would keep him busy; maybe give him something new to concentrate on. Of course he denied it, of course he said he didn't care that Sasuke was gone. Naruto was his usual, sun-shiny self, back on missions again, spending time with his friends, laughing, smiling. But Sakura knew. She knew how much Sasuke's departure had hurt him._

 _"It's gonna be fun," Naruto said to her. "I can't wait to show- everyone, I'm going to show them all the new things I can go with two arms again. It'll be great!"_

 _She bit back a sigh. "It will be. We just need to get through this recovery phase. It hurts, and it feels really strange, I know it does. But it's only temporary, and if anyone can do this, it's_ _ **you**_ _."_

 _His eyes shone at that. "Aww, thanks, Sakura-chan! Don't worry, I won't let you down!"_

* * *

She didn't know how long she'd been laying there clinging to his side, but eventually the world outside the cave grew silent, and the orange glow of the flames dissipated. Night fell and all grew dark and still. Naruto was still breathing- but only just. His heart was still beating…but only just.

Every now and then she sent a gentle infusion of chakra into him, just enough to help his body stabilise, to keep him breathing. But his heart was weakening, his body getting colder, his skin becoming pale.

She heard a noise in the distance and Juugo appeared abruptly in front of her, his skin jagged and bleeding, his clothes torn. His eyes went straight to Naruto's lifeless form. "Is he…"

"He's still alive," she said, and her voice cracked with exhaustion and raw emotion as she said the words. "But I- I don't know what to _do_ …"

"Help is coming," Juugo said to her. "Can I move you? Like before. Both of you, at the same time."

She nodded. It couldn't do any harm, not now.

Juugo very carefully, delicately, scooped them both up again and headed out of the cave, and they moved back through the trees in silence until they reached a familiar clearing. Juugo set them both down.

"A fire, Juugo, please," Sakura said, "and- hot water? Blankets. Anything you can find."

He nodded and set to work. In a few minutes Suigetsu appeared in the clearing beside them, with an unconscious Sasuke cradled in his arms. Suigetsu laid him down on Sakura's other side.

"What happened?" she cried in alarm; _not him too!_

"Idiot overdid it, didn't he?" Suigetsu scowled. "Tore every _Ryuu_ agent in these woods into a million pieces."

"They're- they're all gone?"

Suigetsu nodded. "All the ones within days of here, at least. And there were- a lot of them. But they'll never find any bodies, that's for sure."

Sakura winced and tried to put that image out of her head. She ran her eyes down Sasuke's body, trying to assess him without having to pull her hands off Naruto. He was unconscious, yes, and pale and trembling, but he didn't seem injured, just- depleted.

Suigetsu slumped against a tree, looking more than depleted himself. "How long?" he said to Juugo.

"Not too long," he said in reply.

Juugo soon had a fire going next to Naruto's freezing body, and he carefully placed a layer of sleeping bags over the top of him, careful not to disturb the spider-device. They tried to feed him some water, without much luck. And then Juugo brought her some soldier pills and water and she downed them at once, and thanked him gratefully.

All they could do now was wait. Night had fallen; she had Naruto dying on one side of her, and Sasuke passed out on the other. Suigetsu was slumped over, either asleep or passed out as well. Juugo tended the fire, and threw a blanket over her shivering shoulders, and conversed with the steady stream of animals that came and went from the clearing.

She'd gone numb; her attention narrowed once more until the body in front of her was no longer her best friend, dying; it was just a heartbeat and a network of sluggishly-flowing blood. She trembled, her muscles exhausted, her nerves frayed.

And then finally, _finally_ , there was light in the distance and a medical team landed around her, reaching into Naruto's body and carefully removing her hand from his heart, pulling her away from his body. She gasped, and tensed, and had to be physically lifted up and away from him so that they could work.

They stood her up and she shook, relentlessly, lost and without an anchor. Sakura looked over and saw Sasuke staring after the medics from where he lay. Yes, he was awake, and that was good, and yet…his eyes were empty, and dark. He was gone.

* * *

A/N: Well, THAT was grim. I swear, it's a complete coincidence that all of this is happening just before Christmas, ahh! (I _did_ consider delaying/spreading the chapters out so that we all didn't have to read this during the holidays, but…nah…we're pushing on right to the end here!)

So, as many of you predicted, we've seen Sasuke go bat-shit crazy and go into full-on vengeance mode against those who hurt his dead-last. But, well, he's not the most optimistic guy is he? I doubt he has much hope at all.

Thanks for all your lovely comments these past few chapters, I love reading everyone's reactions and thoughts on our Taka boys and on the general stupidity of Naruto and Sasuke's ongoing issues. I think it's fair to say we've reached a whole new phase of _that_ drama…!


	42. The Spider

**The Spider (Sakura's POV)**

A/N: *cries* ahhhhh I hate upsetting all of you like this….*cough* well okay part of me likes it a bit…ANYWAY! I'm afraid there's not too many "answers" in this chapter, but the next chapter is super long and will be out on Monday as usual, I promise!

* * *

They journeyed fast back to Konoha as quick as lightening, with Naruto's whole body immobilised to protect against further injury. That the note had spoken the truth- remove the spider device that was digging into him, and Naruto would very likely die. But Sakura also knew that if they _didn't_ take it out, Naruto _would_ die- no doubt about it. Even now he was only being kept alive through constant blood and chakra transfusions.

The medical team had not let Sakura assist with Naruto's care on the way home- with her injuries, they insisted on treating her like a _patient_ \- but now that they were finally at the hospital she wouldn't be kept from him a moment longer. Her friend needed surgery right away, and she started giving orders for it as soon as she stepped through the doors.

"Sakura," said Juugo, appearing out of nowhere to stand by her side. "About Sasuke-"

"Where is he?" she asked, looking around her. He'd fallen unconscious again on the way home, and for that she had been grateful. He had pushed himself physically to the limit by using his Susanoo, and from the look in his eyes back in the clearing…he was well past all his _other_ limits, as well.

"He is being treated. Suigetsu is with him," Juugo informed her.

She nodded. Good, he was here in the hospital- where she could monitor him. "Keep an eye on him," she ordered. "…he's a flight risk." Sakura had no doubt that if they couldn't guarantee Naruto's survival, Sasuke would run for the hills.

Juugo stayed silent for a moment before speaking again. "He…if Naruto doesn't make it, Sasuke will…"

Sakura placed a hand on his arm. "I know," she said, speaking as gently as she could. No, if Naruto didn't survive, then Sasuke wouldn't either. Sasuke did not deal with loss _well_. "I will save him," she went on, squeezing her hand for a moment before letting go and walking away, nodding to him as she left.

She turned a corner, heading for the operating room. Once she was out of Juugo's sight she felt her legs go weak and a tremble run right through her. If Naruto died…no, he _couldn't_ , he just couldn't. She paused for a moment, leaning heavily against a wall, forcing herself to take some deep breaths.

"Sakura," came another voice, and she turned to see Tsunade standing next to her. A wave of relief hit her at once. Oh, thank god.

"Tsunade-sama!" she exclaimed. "You'll be helping with the surgery, right? We need to-"

" _We_ won't do anything," Tsunade interrupted. "You need to rest. Naruto needs alert, focused surgeons."

Sakura flared up at once. "I _have_ rested! I need to be with him, I'm the only one who's been there since it happened-"

"You did well, Sakura, keeping him alive this long," Tsunade interrupted again, but even this rare praise would not alter Sakura's determination.

"I can't rest until he's _safe_ ," she said, a steely edge to her voice. "I'm his doctor. I'll _always_ be his doctor."

"This is Naruto we are talking about," Tsunade said, "and he is in very grave danger. We can't take any undue risks-"

"Then why are we still talking about this?!" Sakura interrupted again, pushing away from the wall and past her old teacher. "We need to get started, right away!" She stalked down the corridor and didn't slow down or look back until she reached the operating theatre. No-one would stop her from being a part of this surgery, not even Tsunade!

She moved to the other side of the room and pulled out a set of operating gear for herself, quickly dressing and cleaning her hands thoroughly. She looked around the room, making a mental note of which nurses were in here with her, and checking that everything they could possibly need was within reach.

Tsunade entered the room and glanced over at her. "Sakura," she said again.

"We can't wait any longer!" Sakura said, before she could continue. "We need to get this thing out of him, now."

Tsunade sighed, and nodded. "Very well. I am not convinced that we _can_ remove it, but we must try."

"We'll need a steady supply of blood and chakra," Sakura said, turning to a nurse and switching into doctor mode. She stepped up to the table and stared down at Naruto, steeling her mind for the task ahead. Naruto's body had been gently transferred onto the operating table so as not to disturb the device in his chest.

 _It is not my friend in front of me_ , Sakura told herself sternly; _it is my patient. I will do what I need to do, to save him_.

"He's just had a chakra transfer," Tsunade said to her, joining her at the table. "And I'll be giving him some of my own, as we operate. We must proceed gently. Too much will overwhelm his pathways." Tsunade formed a sharp, narrow blade of chakra in one hand and prepared to cut into him.

"The skin will have healed almost completely over the device by now," Sakura said, as Tsunade started cutting away near the metal spikes- the "legs"- of the device. "It was the only way I could think of to stop it from moving."

"None of the other devices _moved_ ," Tsunade spoke under her breath. Indeed not.

"None of the others were nearly this _large_ , either," Sakura said to that. "So it was more the damage caused by these metal legs than the tendrils that I was worried about, at first."

"You were right to give those priority," Tsunade said, giving her a quick look. "He has a chance now, to survive the injuries to his chest and lungs. But we need to focus on the damage to his chakra pathway as well, or he will never be a shinobi again."

Yes, Sakura knew that; his current chakra level was barely that of a _civilian_. And yet, she didn't much care about _that_ at the moment. All she wanted was to see his smiling face again, those bright, happy eyes of his. Who cared if he could _fight_?

* * *

They worked long into the night, but after many, many hours, they'd gotten nowhere. There were dozens of fine, delicate metal stands running from the centre of the device all through Naruto's body; they feared the damage they would cause by removing them, and their fear had paralysed them completely.

Eventually they had stepped away from him, after re-closing the wounds around the legs. All they could do was keep him stable until they found a solution.

"It's too risky," Sakura said to Kakashi. "It's not just his ability to perform jutsus at stake here. At the moment his body can't even produce or hold on to chakra by itself. If we remove the device and that remains the case, he will die as soon as we stop transferring chakra into him."

"A lack of chakra is never a problem I anticipated for Naruto," Kakashi murmured, staring down at Naruto's lifeless body. His face had turned ashen-grey; there was a slight tremor in his hand where it rested on the bed next to his former student.

"We need time to examine the problem more," Tsunade said. "Come up with a plan." And Sakura knew that they needed to do it _soon_.

"And we need to address the _other_ problem here," Kakashi said, his expression dark. "People could panic, if they found out."

Sakura tensed, and she took a quick, shallow breath. "…kyuubi," she said.

"He's gone," Tsunade added. "There's no trace of him at all."

"How is that possible?" Kakashi said. "The extraction method used by Akatsuki took several hours, at least."

Sakura nodded. "But then, during the war-"

"There is no-one left alive with enough power to do _that_ ," Tsunade interrupted.

Kakashi shook his head and stepped back from the bed. "Naruto has had massive amounts of chakra from the moment he was born. He wouldn't have been able to contain the nine-tails if he hadn't. Perhaps once his chakra had become that depleted, Kyuubi simply…fled."

"Fled…where?" Sakura murmured, and they all stood around and glanced at each other, shifting awkwardly. _Where_ , indeed.

* * *

Several teams of tracking specialists were dispatched at once to seek the nine-tails, and all their informant networks kicked into high gear seeking information about possible sightings. Kyuubi was not Sakura's main concern, however, nor was the slight chance that he was off rampaging somewhere. All she cared about was Naruto.

Early in the hours of the next morning, Naruto was transferred to Anbu's most secure holding facility. Sakura didn't ask questions; she could only assume that their medical team had made some progress with extracting these devices. She had protested the move only because of the risk of taking Naruto away from all the hospital's technology- and those protests that were thwarted when everything was brought right along with him.

They'd been taken right down to the lowest levels of the underground facility. Sakura had been here before when she'd been examining prisoners. She shivered. What a place to bring Naruto! And why couldn't the Anbu teams have come to _him_?

"I hate this place," Sakura murmured to Tsunade, standing close to Naruto's side, her hand closed around his. He'd not regained consciousness even for a moment since the attack, but if he was still in there, if he was still… _aware_ , Sakura wanted him to know that he wasn't alone.

"Hmm," Tsunade said to that, her arms folded across her chest, a gruff expression on her face. Clearly she wasn't happy about being here either. "Anbu medical teams, honestly…"

And yet in the very next moment, they both saw exactly why they were here: because the person who walked through the door would never be allowed one step out of this secure building.

…Orochimaru.

Sakura froze and tensed as her a wave of disgust and anxiety ran through her body at the sight of him. "You're _dead_!" she hissed, feeling Tsunade move to stand right next to her. What was he doing here? It wasn't possible, _Ryuu_ had broken into the prison and they'd _killed_ him, it had been in all the reports-

Orochimaru chuckled at that, smirking over at the both of them. "Oh yes, very dead. A most convenient state to be in."

Sakura could tell by the look on Tsunade's face that not even _she_ had known that he was still alive. "You've been keeping quite a lot of secrets, Kakashi," she said, her voice low and dangerous.

"A necessity," Kakashi said to that. "And he was _very_ close to death."

Sakura had no doubt about _that_ \- he looked _terrible_ , slumped in a wheelchair, his eyes sunken and dark, his body thin and frail. She shuddered; he was even more hideous than he had been before.

"Karin," Orochimaru murmured, "let's get a look at our boy here, shall we?"

And only then did Sakura notice who else was with him; that _girl_. Sakura glowered as she stared over at her. Karin did not return her glance, however; she merely pushed Orochimaru's chair forward towards Naruto.

"Well now, I would very much like to meet the person who invented _this_ ," Orochimaru said, peering down at the spider in Naruto's chest. "What a clumsy device this is."

" _You_ invented it," Sakura growled, not liking the way he was getting closer to her friend, and having to hold back from lashing out at him. Next to her Tsunade placed her hand on her arm, and they exchanged a quick glance.

Orochimaru chuckled again. "Certainly I was developing similar devices. Chakra manipulation, and control. But this is just meant to destroy. Why would you destroy such a creature as this? Foolish. Wasteful."

"There's no-one left of any intelligence in your networks," Karin murmured to her master, leaning down to his ear. "They were scared of him."

"Clearly," Orochimaru said back to her. "If they couldn't control him, they'd take him down. _Such_ a waste."

"Can you remove it or not?" Tsunade hissed, stepping forward.

"That depends on what state you wish the boy to be in after it is removed," he said to that, glancing up at them. "He may very well die, no matter what we do."

"We are aware of that," Kakashi said, stepping forward. "All options are risky, it would seem."

"This is beyond any normal healing technique," Karin murmured to her master. "And they've not been giving him enough chakra. He's starving for it."

"He can't take any more charka!" Sakura growled back. What nerve! This red-headed stranger knew nothing about what they'd been doing, how Sakura had been fighting tooth and nail since Naruto went down. "We're doing as many transfusions as we can, but any more would be-"

"Unsafe, for a normal person," Karin muttered, interrupting her. "This one's not normal. He needs more charka. You'll need to find a way."

"The device will redirect it all anyway," Tsunade said to that, her voice carefully and tightly constrained, neutral. Sakura frowned. Her teacher was doing her best to be civil; evidently she'd already decided she was going to work with these people.

"Yes, we must disable the device before we remove it," Orochimaru said. "And then you must apply your best techniques for pathway-repair at once. That is his only chance."

Sakura exchanged a glance with Tsunade. Tsunade nodded tightly. "If you think you can disable this…"

"Being able to do so would work to my advantage, would it not, Hokage-sama?" Orochimaru crooned, looking over at Kakashi.

No, this was unbearable; it couldn't happen- Sakura didn't want him anywhere _near_ Naruto. "Just tell us how to disable it, and we'll do it ourselves!" she demanded.

"Kitten has bite," Orochimaru commented to Karin. "But unfortunately, I won't know how to disable it without examining it first."

Sakura glowered. "This is a bad idea," she murmured to Tsunade.

"If we had any good ideas- or even any other _bad_ ideas- I wouldn't even consider it," Tsunade said back to her. "But we must do whatever is necessary to save him."

Sakura bit the inside of her lip. It was intolerable just being in the same room as him; she couldn't possibly- _operate_ with him. And yet she couldn't leave Naruto- she _wouldn't._

"We have no choice, then," she said to Tsunade, who gave a tight nod in return.

"Let's get started," Tsunade said, "and we'll be watching you."

Orochimaru grinned at that, and stood shakily from his chair, leaning heavily on Karin's arm. "I have no doubt of that."

* * *

Sakura sat perched on Naruto's bed, watching the weak, uneven rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. As he _breathed_ , on his own. Even now he was in danger, even now the situation could become dire at any moment, and yet- he _lived_.

A solid swatch of bandages covered his chest, binding the wounds they hadn't been able to heal completely, and holding his broken ribs in place. He was receiving a steady stream of anti-biotics and painkillers through an IV; a chakra-monitoring device was attached to him via multiple wires. In a few hours, he would receive another transfer of chakra from Juugo. Every three hours like clockwork.

She had hoped…well, there had been a _chance_ that removing the device would restore him to what he was. The surgery had been long and tense, and the fact that Naruto survived it _should_ have been enough; it had been miraculous, in its own way. And yet…he could still die. Despite removing the device, his body was still struggling to produce chakra by itself.

 _But he's_ _ **trying**_ _to_ , Sakura told herself. She wished she felt more hopeful, but staring down at him in the bed, all she could think about was how damaged he was. _And I thought he'd been in bad shape after his battle with Sasuke_. All he'd lost then was an _arm_.

She gazed down at the stump were his new right arm had been. Gone, again. And yet that wouldn't matter at all, if they couldn't save his life. But there was nothing more they could do but wait. They'd been as aggressive as they could with repairing his chakra pathways. Naruto's body had to do the rest by itself.

The door opened softly behind her, and she turned to see Juugo entering the room, escorting Sasuke behind him. Escorting him against his will, it would seem, giving the tight grip the larger boy had on his arm. And there was Suigetsu walking in behind them, blocking his exit.

"…Sasuke," she said to him, her voice low and exhausted.

"He's going to die," Sasuke said to Juugo, ignoring her. "Why did you even make me come here?"

Sakura bristled at that. "He's not _dead_! Don't you _dare_ say that!"

"He's not dead _yet_ ," Sasuke corrected, and he gazed over at Naruto's body on the bed, not moving from where he stood by the door.

"We can't lose hope," Sakura said. "Sasuke, just- sit with us for a while, it's good for him to have his friends around."

"There's no point," Sasuke said to that, and his voice was empty and dull, just as his eyes were.

Sakura growled. She'd struggled to find any hope within herself before, but in the face of this pessimism, this _despair_ , that little spark of hope grew to a roaring fire. "I'm going to save him," she declared, glaring at Sasuke, daring her to contradict him.

"The doctors are doing the best they can," Juugo said to Sasuke, his voice quiet, and calm.

"He's better now than even a few hours ago, right doc?" Suigetsu said, looking over at Sakura.

"Yes," she declared. Well… it may not be strictly true to say he was doing _better_ , but Naruto wasn't any _worse_ than a few hours ago.

"No, he's dying," Sasuke reputed. "He's already gone."

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried, jumping to her feet. "You can't say things like that!"

Sasuke glared back at her, but didn't respond to her words. He merely turned to the door. "Can we go now? You said I had to look at him, and I have."

"We'll be back," Juugo said to Sakura, and she nodded. Well, what did it matter? He'd obviously given up hope; Naruto didn't need that around him. Sakura had all of her attention focused on Naruto now- she couldn't take care of Sasuke as _well_.

* * *

Sakura finally managed to fall asleep, catching a few hours' rest on the couch in her office. All the best doctors and nurses in Konoha were on standby in case Naruto's condition worsened; all the help he could possibly need was within reach. There was nothing more that she personally could do.

Her sleep was thankfully dreamless; when she woke in darkness she was disorientated, almost falling off the couch in confusion about where she was. When she remembered she flicked on the lights and then sat at her desk, staring numbly at the huge stack of medical texts and journals she'd had her assistants pull from the hospital's library. She'd had a team pouring over them every second, searching for a way to repair Naruto's chakra systems. Yet nothing had told them any differently than what they already knew: Naruto's body must heal itself now, from the inside, aided by regular chakra infusions.

If he survived, it would mean training; a lot of it, brutal and intensive. Even then, it was likely he would never again achieve the level he'd once been at. And as for the nine-tails…there was no sign of him, no word.

She stood, shakily, and made her way out of her office and back towards Naruto's room. He could do it, she knew he could. No-one was stronger, more _determined_ than he was. Just thinking about the challenges he'd overcome in his short life already…it was cruel that this would happen to him, that yet _another_ obstacle was thrown in his way, but he would overcome this one too. She just knew it.

She glanced around his darkened room. The news of Naruto's condition- or the version of it that the Hokage had approved- had spread through Konoha like wildfire. Naruto's closest friends were already camped out in the hospital waiting rooms, desperate for a chance to see him. That wouldn't be allowed, obviously, but she wished she could tell him how much people cared. How _frightened_ they were. Already his room was filled with flowers and offerings; well-wishes and prayers for his recovery.

And there, over in the corner, was Sasuke.

"Where is the nurse?" Sakura asked; there should be one here at all times, monitoring Naruto's chakra levels.

"I sent her away," Sasuke said, and the meaning behind his words sent chills down her spine. She made a mental note to send that nurse to counselling- she'd need it, after an encounter with Sasuke.

She sighed. "Sasuke-"

"Tell me the truth, Sakura. He's going to die, isn't he."

Sakura pulled up a chair and sat down next to Naruto's bed, gazing over at Sasuke on his other side. "We still have hope," she began. "He-"

"No," Sasuke interrupted. " _Tell_ me."

She bit her lip, trying to contain the spark of anger she felt at his tone. "Right now, it- he is better than before, but…50%, maybe, that he will live."

Sasuke nodded, his expression not changing; his eyes not leaving Naruto's face.

"I don't understand what happened," he said. "That- that _thing_. You've seen them before. Juugo told me."

She frowned. "Not like this, we haven't. But- similar ones. Those were used to suppress and conceal a shinobi's chakra. This one, it just…destroys it. Rips into chakra pathways and burns them up."

"That's not possible," Sasuke said, his voice still dull and empty.

"It is what we judge happened," she said back. Whether it was _possible_ or not, here was Naruto on the bed in front of them.

"How could someone have gotten that close to him," Sasuke hissed under his breath, his eyes flashing red.

Exactly what Sakura had been agonising over for days. She'd seen the black device shooting out at him from nowhere, but she'd had no time to react, no time to do anything, before she'd been knocked unconscious from behind. After that, she must have been moved- or Naruto had been. Someone had strung him up in that tree. How? How could they have let that happen?

…had they underestimated their enemy, _again_?

"We think perhaps they had been planning to do that. Planning it for a while, perhaps," Sakura answered, cautiously.

"So it was over before we even knew what was happening," Sasuke went on, his voice dim, low, and void of any hope or light.

Sakura growled under her breath. Yes, this was traumatic, it was hard- but he sounded like he was grieving, and that just wasn't acceptable! "It's not over, Sasuke," she spoke, narrowing her eyes, glaring over at him.

He shrugged. "It will just be harder on you when he dies properly," he said back.

She stood abruptly. That was enough! She was just about to storm out of the room when she remembered something and stopped short. "Here," she scowled, "This is yours."

She pulled something out of her pocket and held it out to him- the red ribbon she'd pulled off Naruto's wrist that night. She knew _exactly_ where he'd gotten it from. She dropped the ribbon onto the bed and he let it fall, staring at it with widened eyes.

"Where did you get that?" he hissed.

"Naruto was wearing it," she shot back. "He almost _died_ while wearing this. But here he is in front of us, alive. _Alive_ , Sasuke!"

He reached out and snatched it off the bed, and then glowered back over her.

No, that was more than enough; she couldn't deal with Sasuke when he was like this. And- and he'd come in here, alone…so maybe that was what he needed.

"I'll be sending the nurses in soon," she informed him as she left the room. _Have your alone-time with him then, Sasuke_ , she thought; _and remember what he needs from you. Don't let him die with all your hatred in the air._

* * *

A/N: Ahhh well, did anyone think that Sasuke was going to react any differently to Naruto's predicament? Our poor boy…*sigh*. But at least we got Orochimaru and Karin in this chapter! I've been dying to bring them back for so long! And now we have only one chapter and the epilogue left, ahaha… Wait- only one chapter left? Oh god we're almost DONE!


	43. Pain

**Pain (Naruto's POV)**

A/N: I hope y'll had an awesome Christmas! (And that this stupid angsty fic didn't interfere with that too much, ahaha…*sigh*.) We've got a REALLY long chapter here, I just kept adding and adding scenes. There was so much to get through, given that this is the last proper chapter (wahhhh)!

* * *

It was a level of pain he had never experienced before; a kind of pain that couldn't be _real_ , that shouldn't _exist_. He couldn't scream, he couldn't cry, he couldn't even _move_ \- all he could do was lie there with his body burning, acid flowing through his veins; weights pushing down on his head and knives slicing up his chest from the inside. How could this be happening to him?

 _Kurama, please, where are you_ , he cried inside his head, desperate for help, desperately calling out to that endless source of miracles that had been with him his whole life. But there was only silence, and an empty cavern. He was gone.

He didn't know how long he huddled inside his own mind, shrinking away from the lashing pain, too weak to do anything but endure. But eventually there were new sensations, and a new kind of agony as he heard voices and felt touches, and could do nothing to respond.

"Naruto, Naruto…" he heard, a soft, indistinct voice, so far away, and blurred as if it travelled through a wall of water. "I'm still here, I'm going to save you, okay? But you need to help me, _please_ , Naruto…"

 _But I don't know what to do,_ he thought, _tell me what to do, tell me how to stop the pain, please._

"It's up to you now, kid," came another voice, a lower one, a gruffer one. "We've done our part. Now do yours."

 _I want to_ , he thought, _I really want to, but I- I can't even_ _ **move**_ _…_

It seemed to him like days and weeks passed inside that darkness. He knew he was no longer alone. There were shadows, the feeling of movement all around him, of eyes on him, of people speaking his name constantly. Now he craved silence, a moment of peace, somewhere to hide.

 _I'm sorry_ , he whispered to the world, _I don't know what to do, I can't do anything, please, don't make me, I just want to_ _ **rest**_ _._

"Well done, moron," said another voice, a hissing, bitter, angry voice. "You found a way to hurt me more than kissing someone else. Just perfect, dead-last, really."

He whimpered and curled in on himself even more, feeling despair creeping in on him and pulling him down. That anger, what had he done to deserve it, _it wasn't me, it wasn't my fault, Sasuke, please, don't leave me, just let me explain-_

"Sasuke, I swear to god, if you leave him now I will _never_ forgive you!" came more angry voices, a flurry of motion, a sense of things happening, things changing. A hand, a hand on his arm, a voice speaking into his ear. "Just wait for me, Naruto, I'll be back soon okay? I'll bring him home to you this time."

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes and wanted to die. He had _never_ , not ever in his entire life, felt this _weak_. He stared up at the roof, too tired to even wonder where he was. It was dark; he couldn't see anything anyway.

But then all of a sudden there was something moving next to him, the bark of a dog, the call of birds, and then the world flooded with light and he winced, squeezing his eyes shut, wanting to scream.

"Shut the lights off!" cried a voice, and then a hand gripped his own tight as the room went blissfully dark again. "Naruto, oh, thank god-"

"Tsunade-sama?" said another voice.

"I need the team in here, now!" she ordered, and Naruto shrank away from it, from orders, from demands. "Naruto, it's okay, I know it hurts, but we're going to take care of you. Can you open your eyes again?"

He tried; how long did he try for? But he managed to do so, and stared up at her lined, worried face, and felt awful.

She smiled, and gripped his hand tighter. "Oh, there you are. There's my boy."

He turned his head, scanning the room, searching, but everything was blurry. There was Juugo, he knew it was him, there was no-one else that big. Naruto stared at him for a while, confused, but not knowing why.

He wanted to ask- what did he want to ask? He didn't know, but when he opened his mouth, nothing came out anyway. He stared back at Tsunade, feeling sad and alone, and not knowing what to do next. Where was Sasuke? Where was Sakura? They should be here, they should-

"Sleep, Naruto," Tsunade murmured to him. "You've done so good. Better than anyone else. Well done, Naruto."

He whimpered and closed his eyes, and was alone in the darkness once more.

* * *

Kurama was gone. Naruto had no chakra left in him. And he couldn't feel Sasuke. That bright spark that had always been there, every second since the war, since meeting the Sage, had just disappeared.

 _He's gone anyway_ , Naruto told himself. He'd heard them. And in the few times he'd opened his eyes since the first time, Sasuke had never been there, and nor had Sakura. Naruto was surprised just how much that hurt him.

The light in the room was dim- it must be dusk or dawn, who knew which. He realised he was awake with a stab of disappointment. Waking always preluded a fresh round of pain.

Someone was holding his hand; Tsunade again? She was in here a lot. Juugo, too. Mostly those two. But no, it wasn't Tsunade.

... _Sasuke_...he thought to himself, his eyes widening in disbelief. What was he doing here?! Naruto looked down at his sleeping face, and his body slumped over onto the bed; on his hand gripping Naruto's own.

"-Sasuke," he said, his voice weak and cracked. "Sasuke." He gathered up his energy and squeezed his hand, and Sasuke's eyes fluttered open.

For a moment they just stared at each other in the dim light at the room, not saying anything, not moving. Naruto was confused; was he dreaming? Sasuke had _left_. He knew he had.

And then Sasuke blinked and jumped up, reaching behind Naruto's bed, for the nurse's bell there.

"No, don't!" Naruto cried, and then he winced and shuddered at the pain in his throat.

"Shit, hang on," Sasuke muttered, reaching for some water on the table, and holding it up to Naruto's face, helping him take a few sips. "Good, Naruto," he murmured soothingly, and Naruto became even more confused. Oh, this wasn't _Sasuke_.

"You- _left_ ," Naruto coughed, whimpering, letting Sasuke lower him back down to the pillows.

"Yeah," Sasuke said to that, "and then I came back. Stay still, moron, you wanna rip all your stitches? Re-break all your ribs?!"

Naruto stared at him wide-eyed, still confused, still amazed. He…he came _back_.

"What- what _happened_ -" he exclaimed, suddenly full of questions, how long had he been here, _why_ was he here, and where the _hell_ was Kurama?! What was going _on_?

"You need to rest," Sasuke said, and this time he really did press the nurse's bell. "Take it easy, Naruto. There'll be time for all that later."

He whimpered, feeling dizzy, his head starting to pound. Sasuke pulled the blankets up around his shoulders and then sat back down and took his hand again, lacing their fingers together, gripping tight. Then the nurses were here, fussing around him, their hands on his forehead, fiddling with the IV. A rush a cooling relief ran through him and he sighed.

"There," Sasuke murmured, rubbing his thumb across the back of Naruto's hand and up his wrist. "That's better, right?"

"…mm," Naruto whimpered, as he felt himself falling asleep once more. No, no, he wanted to- and there were so many _questions_ , and-

" _Sleep_ ," Sasuke ordered, and he did.

* * *

"I don't understand," Naruto whined, leaning heavily on the pillows behind him, struggling to wrap his head around what Sakura was saying. Spiders? Chakra suppression? What did that have to do with _him_? "Just- just tell me what's wrong with _me_ -"

"That's what she's _doing_ , moron," Sasuke said with a sigh, shoving another pillow behind his back and adjusting the bed. "Your chakra pathways were _fried_ , okay?"

Sakura shot him a look. "That's not- that's not _completely_ accurate, Sasuke," she said. "But the tendrils in the device definitely _did_ damage your chakra pathways, and now your body is trying to repair them."

"I feel like I don't have _any_ chakra," Naruto muttered, staring down at his hand; oh, he'd learned _heaps_ of one-handed seals last year, if he'd just lost an arm again he would have been _fine_ , but _this_?!

"You have very _little_ chakra," Sakura corrected.

"If you didn't have any you'd be _dead_ , idiot," Sasuke added, swatting the side of his head, and then musing his hair for extra effect, his hand lingering on Naruto's forehead.

"That is not helpful, Sasuke!" Sakura scowled. "Stay out of it, would you? Look, Naruto, after we got the device out of you, we were hoping that all your chakra would come flooding back. We realise now that's not possible- you won't be able to support that level again until your pathways are repaired."

"So, do that then," Naruto said. He just didn't understand why he was _still_ in pain, why everything still hurt, why he was still so _weak_. Sakura said he'd been here in hospital for almost a month now, that he'd been unconscious for three weeks, and he'd had a whole bunch of surgeries. So why wasn't he _better_?

"It's a very delicate problem, Naruto," Sakura said, gazing at him with sympathy. "At the moment your pathways are stabilizing, becoming stronger- more able to bear shinobi-levels of chakra. We don't know how long that will take, but there's not much we can do to speed the process up."

And suddenly a light went on in his head, flooding the world with a jarring, ugly brightness. "Sakura," Naruto said, keeping his tone light. "You're saying I might be stuck like this for _months_? _Years_? And- and _then_ what?"

She hesitated, and exchanged a glance with Sasuke. "Weeks, I think, until we reach the next step of your recovery. Until your chakra levels will start to rise. That- that might be painful, Naruto, so…"

"Painful," he muttered. More painful than _this_? He sighed.

"He's tired," Sasuke said, starting to lower the bed and rearrange the pillows. "That's enough for today."

"Sasuke-" Sakura started to say.

"I'm tired, Sakura," Naruto said, curling up on his side, biting his lip when the movement tugged on the IV in his arm.

She sighed. "Okay. Get some sleep, then." Naruto heard her turn and leave the room, and then Sasuke sat down on the bed next to him, staying by his side until he fell asleep again.

* * *

Sakura said that while he was unconscious, Juugo had been giving him chakra transfers almost every day. Juugo's nature-based energy seemed to hurt him less; his body had been more relaxed once Juugo had taken over that duty.

"That's why he was still here then," Naruto said, opening his mouth for more food.

"Partly," Sakura said, feeding him more of the apple mixture. "But we also wanted to know the second you woke up. We gave Sasuke a good beating, me and Kakashi, but it wasn't until we got Juugo's note that he agreed to come home."

"…oh," Naruto said to that.

"Actually, he _ran_ home. I've never seen him move so fast. It was pretty amazing."

Naruto didn't know what to do with that information. Since he'd woken, Sasuke had barely left his side. Sakura had kicked him out just now, told him to get some fresh air, but he'd hopefully be back any minute. Naruto was starting to feel anxious, and his pillows were all lumpy and weird. Sasuke was the only one who could get them just right.

* * *

It was Sasuke feeding him this time; chocolate pudding, his old favourite. "You're doing so much better today," Sasuke commented, spooning mouthfuls into Naruto's mouth.

 _With what?_ Naruto wondered. With eating? With not complaining? With smiling a bit more? _Come on, Naruto, smile for me!_ they all said to him.

Naruto turned his face away. "That's enough," he said.

Sasuke sighed. "Come on, Naruto," he said. "You're almost done!"

"...no," Naruto muttered. He was sick of hospital food. He'd had more than enough of it, enough to last a lifetime. Why couldn't he have ramen?! Everyone knew it had special healing properties.

"If you finish it, I'll eat some myself," Sasuke declared.

Naruto's eyes widened. "You wouldn't!" he exclaimed. Sasuke, eating something _sweet_? Never!

"Watch me," Sasuke said to that, eating a spoonful of the stuff and then licking the spoon for good measure.

Naruto's mouth fell wide open in shock; he had _never_ , not in the months the two of them had lived here in the hospital, seen him _actually_ eat the chocolate pudding.

Of course Sasuke took this chance to shove the rest of the pudding in his mouth. "You bastard!" Naruto shrieked, coughing and chocking a bit on the spoon.

Sasuke laughed at that and brought a glass of water to his mouth, and then patted his back until he stopped coughing. Naruto glared at him and Sasuke just grinned.

"Such a good boy," he crooned.

"And you're a dick," Naruto growled, folding his arms across his chest and scowling over at him.

Sasuke leant over and kissed his nose, completely out of the blue. Naruto flushed bright red and started sputtering, pulling away from him.

"Sasuke!" he shrieked.

"What?" Sasuke said back, giving him an innocent look.

Naruto rolled his eyes and sighed. Oh, this boy was _hopeless_. He'd do that kind of stuff, so randomly, then he'd go back to fluffing his pillows like he was just some kind of _nurse_ , or he'd start calling him names or making fun of him, just like old times. Naruto didn't know what to make of his behaviour at _all_.

Well, at least he was here. And sometimes, like now, he even seemed to be in a good mood, smiling and laughing, teasing him. But at other times Naruto would catch him staring off into space, or looking over at him, and there was such darkness and grief in his eyes that it took Naruto's breath away.

He understood, of course; if _Sasuke_ had died, Naruto was sure he would be the same. Worse, maybe. It didn't matter that Naruto was still _alive_ \- for a while, he _had_ been dead, at least to Sasuke. And that was all that mattered.

* * *

Naruto lay wearily on his pillows, struggling to contain his yawns. It had been a long and difficult night. After two weeks of his chakra levels rising just a little bit each day, all of a sudden it had kicked up a notch, sending waves of raw energy through his burnt-out pathways, leaving him screaming and shaking on the bed.

He'd clung to Sasuke, _begging_ for more drugs, but he was refused. The doctors didn't want him getting addicted; Naruto had to learn how to 'deal with the pain', whatever the hell _that_ meant. What did they think he'd been _doing_ this whole time?

"Bad night?" Kakashi-sensei asked him, glancing over at Sasuke passed out on the couch.

Naruto shrugged.

"Have you given much thought to what you'll do next?" Kakashi went on. He was sitting next to Naruto's bed, slicing an apple. He offered Naruto a piece; Naruto shook his head.

What he'd do next? What did he mean by that?

"Not...not really," Naruto said, to answer his question. Sakura and Tsunade seemed pleased with his progress, and they'd started talking about training. The very idea made Naruto want to crawl under his sheets and never come out again.

Kakashi nodded. "You have options. Yamato has offered to oversee your training, so you could spend a few months at the Anbu retreat with him. And the Kazekage has offered to send you trainers as well. Everyone wants to help."

Well, nobody _can_ help, Naruto thought to himself. "That's nice," he said out loud. "I think I'll just stay here for a while, though." Here, where everyone had to leave when visiting hours were over; here where Sasuke stayed next to his bed, quiet and calm and silent.

Kakashi nodded again. "It won't be easy, the next year," he said, eating another piece of apple.

Naruto bit back a sigh. Yes, he knew that. People told him that a million times a day. Enough already!

"Naruto," Kakashi continued. "Is becoming Hokage still really what you want?"

Naruto didn't think he could be in any _more_ pain, but _that_ hit him like a knife through the heart. It must have shown on his face because Kakashi quickly help up his hands.

"No, no, don't take that the wrong way!" he said. "I know you'll recover from this, and you'll be stronger for it. Even if it takes some time. That's not what I meant."

 _And what if I_ _ **don't**_ , Naruto thought to himself. He'd been thinking about that a lot lately. He'd made Sakura tell him- there was no guarantee he could get back to what he'd been. No guarantee at _all_.

"I think you would be an outstanding Hokage, Naruto," Kakashi went on. "Konoha is changing. It needs people like you to lead it in the right direction. But you have options. You're not stuck with that choice, if it's not what you want anymore."

"I've never wanted to be anything else," Naruto said, and he was surprised to hear the anguish in his voice; surprised to realise it was _true_. So where did that leave him? If being Hokage wasn't his goal…what _was_? Where was he going? What was he _doing_?

"Perhaps you've never truly considered anything else," Kakashi said to that. "Well, you have time. I've got a few more years in me; Konoha will still be here, when you're ready. If it's what you want."

Naruto frowned. That- that was a lot to think about. Honestly, it made him just want to go back to sleep. He'd think about all that later, some other time. In some hypothetical future where he was _better_.

"Now," Kakashi said, sitting back on his chair and reaching into a pocket. A bright orange book appeared and Naruto brightened, ever so slightly. "I'm not sure where we left off, so how about we just start at a random page?"

"Yes, please, sensei," Naruto said.

Kakashi nodded. "Good. Ahem. _Rin and Sousuke made their way down the darkened hallway, tearing clothes from limbs as they went, and not caring that their noise was almost certainly reaching the neighbours. They held each other desperately and_ -"

Naruto sighed in happiness, snuggling back up in his blanket and letting his perverted sensei's voice wash over him and drown out any other thoughts. Kakashi wasn't as perverted as Jiraiya had been, but he did his best. And Naruto needed a _break_. He couldn't think about that other stuff any longer.

* * *

A few weeks passed. Kakashi-sensei came to visit almost every day, and Sakura and Tsunade were of course in and out of his room all the time. Juugo sat with him each morning and night and they meditated, focusing on drawing in natural chakra. That was nice. It was better than the _other_ kinds of training he had to do.

His Konoha friends visited sometimes as well. Those visits were _exhausting_ , and Sasuke and Sakura became adept at making up excuses to kick them all out. And Sasuke, well, he was here _all_ the time. They'd even switched Naruto's tiny single bed for a double one so that Sasuke didn't have to sleep on the couch any more.

Sasuke refused to feed him anymore- Naruto knew perfectly well how to do things with one arm, he said- but he still arranged Naruto's pillows just the way he liked. He had Juugo collect Mr. Roary from his apartment, and the stuffed dinosaur lay between them every night. Sasuke put him away in the morning.

During the day they played board games or cards; Sasuke read to him sometimes, or told him stories. Naruto liked hearing about his travels, about his time outside of Konoha. As long as he didn't think about the fact that such times were times away from _him_. They didn't talk about anything remotely serious or important.

That was slowly starting to wear on him; his nerves were starting to fray. Naruto knew it wouldn't be long before they needed to have The Talk. But each time he tried, Sasuke would freeze up or change the subject.

No, this couldn't go on any longer.

"Sasuke," Naruto murmured one morning after breakfast. Sasuke was clearing away their plates, tidying up the room. Juugo would be here soon. Naruto took a breath and gathered up his courage. "There's something I've been wanting to-"

"Don't," Sasuke interrupted, and when Naruto glanced over at him he saw that Sasuke had stopped moving in the middle of the room, and his expression had changed to one of undisguised misery. "Please, Naruto. Don't ask me to stay here."

Naruto's stomach sank, and he almost stayed silent after that. But…but _no_ , he had to say it. He took another deep breath and went on. "I wasn't going to _ask_ you anything, bastard," he said. "I wanted to _tell_ you something."

Sasuke looked wary at that. "…go ahead, then," he said, after a pause, coming over to perch on the side of the bed.

Naruto nodded. Best to just come out and say it, there was no way to sugar-coat it. "I... I'm thinking about…leaving Konoha," he said.

Silence.

Naruto stared over at Sasuke and couldn't read his expression at all. "Did you hear me?" he asked with a frown.

"I heard you," Sasuke said, frowning back. "What- what do you _mean_ , leave Konoha?"

Naruto looked down, staring at his hand where it was gripping his blanket tight. "All that training Sakura says I have to do. I can't do it here. I can't _bear_ it anymore, all of them _watching_ me! I thought, maybe I'd go to Suna, or maybe just somewhere by myself, and, I need to find Kurama…"

"…Naruto…" Sasuke murmured, moving closer to him.

It all just came blurting out of him, all the things he'd been thinking for weeks. "No-one's heard anything about him, I _miss_ him. I know I can find him, if I just look. And then I can just train at my own pace, or maybe _not_ train, I don't know. I could just… _rest_ , or, well, I haven't decided, but…"

"You can't leave Konoha," Sasuke declared, and Naruto looked up at him.

"Why the hell not?" Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke sighed. "You- you need _people_ , Naruto. _Your_ people. Sakura, your friends, that stupid ramen stand."

"You don't get it," Naruto growled under his breath. That was _exactly_ what he was trying to get away from.

Sasuke stood up abruptly and started pacing back and forth across the room, clearly agitated, sending confused glances in Naruto's direction. "No, I _don't_ get it," he exclaimed. "You can't _possibly_ be considering this!"

"It's no big deal," Naruto muttered under his breath. " _You_ do it all the time. You're probably planning on doing it again pretty soon."

Sasuke sighed again, and nodded, pausing in his pacing for just a moment before starting up again. "Well, yeah…we are."

Naruto winced at that, and hoped it wasn't too obvious. Yes, of course he knew that, he'd _accepted_ that; there was no way Sasuke was staying in Konoha, of course he was going to leave. Still…to hear him say it out loud like that, so matter-of-factly, so _shamelessly_ …it hurt. He couldn't deny that.

"So, why can't _I_ leave too?" Naruto demanded, his voice coming out a little harsher and with more anger than he'd intended.

"This is your _home_ , you've said that over and over again!" Sasuke said. "You've never shown _any_ interest in leaving, I just can't understand this!"

"It's not like I'm leaving _forever_ ," Naruto retorted. "And I hardly think that _you're_ the one to lecture me on this! Kakashi and Sakura are okay with me leaving, so why can't you-"

"You already spoke to them about this?!" Sasuke exclaimed. "You're _serious_? This isn't just some- some crazy idea you came up with this morning?!"

" _No_ ," Naruto shot back with a sulky frown. "Why would you say that? I'm telling you Sasuke, I can't stay here. And I thought you of all people would understand that!"

"I just never thought you'd ever leave!" Sasuke exclaimed, and there was an edge to his voice that made all of Naruto's anger fade away, replaced with concern.

"Sasuke-" he began.

"I wanted you to come with me," Sasuke interjected.

Naruto froze. …wait, _what_? **_What_**?! What did he just say?! He couldn't be- he couldn't have _meant_ that, could he?!

Sasuke went back to his pacing, circling the room once, twice, before continuing. "But Sakura said- she told me once that you'd do _anything_ I asked you to-"

Naruto flushed red. He really wished that wasn't true. "Yeah, so?" he muttered.

"So how could I ever ask you to _leave Konoha_?" Sasuke exclaimed.

Naruto growled. "I just told you that I _am_ leaving Konoha!" he said. "You could have asked me! You _should_ have asked me!"

Sasuke shook his head, his face a mask of fury and despair. "No, I couldn't have. How could I ask you to leave, knowing you'd say _yes_ , and thinking that it wasn't what you actually _wanted_?"

Naruto fell silent at that. …oh. Yes, okay. He understood. But… "You…you really wanted me to come with you?"

Sasuke sighed, pacing some more, looking away from him, looking over at him, agitated and uneasy. "I was _thinking_ about it. Thinking it might be…well, not _nice_ , I mean we'd fight all the time, but _interesting,_ maybe. I don't know, I just thought, it might be a solution…"

"Come here, Sasuke," Naruto said. He couldn't put up with his pacing any more, it was making him dizzy.

Sasuke hesitated, clearly wary of his intentions, but after a moment he came back over, perching back on the edge of the bed, poised to take flight at any moment if he needed to.

"Closer," Naruto ordered; he was still too far away.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, but eventually followed his instructions, inching further up the bed. Naruto reached out and traced a finger gently across his face, down his cheek to his jaw, back up the other side to his ear. Sasuke sat in silence, watching him intently, still as a statue.

Naruto had just woken up one morning and knew he had to leave. He felt like an idiot for not having seen it _sooner_ ; not having seen it before all this had even happened. Konoha was all he really knew. When he looked back on his life, those two years travelling with Jiraiya just stood out so much in his mind, a bright, unblemished spot in a murky swamp of memories. He'd been _free_ , back then. He wanted that again.

And yes, it had occurred to him that maybe while he was away, he'd run into Sasuke sometime. And that would be nice, seeing him outside of Konoha. But to leave Konoha _together_? No, he'd never considered that; he'd never thought that _Sasuke_ would have considered it.

Naruto took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "If we did this," he began, still tracing his fingers up and down Sasuke's cheeks. "Would we be…together?" His heart pounded as he waited for Sasuke to answer.

A look of concern and anxiety flashed across Sasuke's face. "Together," he repeated. "You mean…"

"I _mean_ , no more messing around. No more pushing me away. _Together_ , Sasuke," Naruto said, staying firm. There could be no backing down from this conversation.

"But," Sasuke said, "that- I mean, we, we would…"

"It wouldn't be easy," Naruto muttered; and that was putting it lightly. "I'll annoy the hell out of you, and you'll piss me off by not talking to me for days, we'll fight, we'll hate each other."

Sasuke looked horrified. "Why would you _want_ that?!" he exclaimed.

Naruto sighed. Honestly, didn't he _know_? Didn't he _understand_? "Come on, Sasuke. You've thought about this. I know you have."

Sasuke scowled. "That's…that's…"

"Completely, totally true, right?" Naruto asked. "I'm not coming with you if it's gonna be the same old shit. I've got enough to deal with, don't you get that?"

"…yeah," Sasuke mumbled. "Yes, I get that. You're right. And I…"

"Yes?" Naruto asked.

"With…with one condition," Sasuke said, the hesitation clear in his voice.

"Yes?" Naruto repeated.

Sasuke reached out and threaded his fingers through Naruto's, gripping his hand tight. "You can't ever die again," he said. "I _mean_ it, dead-last. Not _ever_ , do you understand?"

Naruto was surprised. _That_ wasn't what he'd been expecting at all. "Uh," he said. "Well, I don't exactly _plan_ on that, but-"

"You need to _train_ , you need to get strong again," Sasuke interjected. "Really, really strong. Stronger than _me_. Strong enough that no-one can hurt you, ever again. Agreed?"

Naruto winced, remembering Sakura's words and knowing how big of a promise that would be; all the hard work and pain Sasuke was asking of him.

"Well?" Sasuke demanded.

"But Sasuke," Naruto protested. "I don't even _know_ if I can be strong again!"

"You can be," Sasuke said to that. "It's up to you. And I know what you've been thinking, I've seen it in your eyes. You want to just give up, stay like this. Well, you _can't_."

"Why not," Naruto growled. Not that he'd actually be thinking such things. Not that Sasuke was _right_.

"You will never be happy that way," Sasuke said. "And it wouldn't be _safe_. So, if you want us to be- together, then you have to promise me. No matter how hard it gets, no matter how long it takes, you have to keep going."

Naruto bit his lip. He knew he was asking a lot of Sasuke; asking Sasuke to let him in. But what Sasuke was asking of _him_ …

"This is emotional blackmail," Naruto declared.

"Yes," Sasuke said to that. "Get used to it, if you want me to be your boyfriend."

Naruto froze. Boyfriend. His _boyfriend_. And he'd be _Sasuke's_ boyfriend. They'd be _together_ , and-

"Okay," he said at once, his heart beating at ten thousand times its usual pace. "Yes, Sasuke, okay, whatever you want!"

And if later on Naruto would feel a little embarrassed at how quickly he'd caved to Sasuke's "emotional blackmail," well, no-one else had to know about _that_.

* * *

Naruto woke with a start, his whole body tense, his jaw clenched in pain. Something was wrong, something hurt. _Sasuke_ , he thought, pushing himself up in the bed, _Sasuke will help_ \- But when Naruto looked over beside him, Sasuke was sleeping so soundly, so peacefully there next to him, that Naruto hesitated to wake him.

 _Let him sleep_ , Naruto told himself sternly. Just the sight of him there was calming enough. _Okay, okay, what hurts?_ he went on, trying to isolate the source of the pain. He closed his eyes and breathed, one long breath in through his nose, hold it for a few seconds, breath out through his mouth. Good.

Naruto opened his eyes and felt relieved that he hadn't woken Sasuke for this. The pain was coming from his arm- the arm that wasn't _there_ any more. How…embarrassing. Sakura hold told him about phantom limb pains, but he hadn't had any of that last time he lost his arm.

 _…last time I lost my arm. Shit._ How many times was he going to lose it?!

Well, his arm was gone, as was his ability to perform anything above a simple, academy-level jutsu. The other day he managed to stand on water for a whole four seconds and everyone had acted like it was the most amazing thing they'd ever seen. That was just the way things were now.

He sighed and lay back down, pulling the blankets back up over his chest and smushing the pillows behind him. Sasuke stirred next to him, stretching under the sheets, and his eyes fluttered open.

… _oops_ , Naruto thought. He'd tried not to wake him, but this guy was just way too light of a sleeper.

Sasuke gazed over at him, and then shifted across the bed and nestled closer to his side. "What's wrong?" he murmured with a yawn.

"Nothing," Naruto said back. "It's nothing. Go back to sleep."

Sasuke stared, seeming to consider this. "…no," he said. "You…you can talk to me about it if you- well, you _should_ talk to me about it," he added with a small frown, looking at him with hesitant eyes.

Naruto bit his lip. Sasuke was just so… _cute_ , trying his hardest with the whole "supportive boyfriend" act. Naruto wasn't sure if it actually suited him, but hey, they were both doing their best here, given the recent change in their…relationship status. It's not like either one of them had ever _been_ in a relationship before. This was all new.

So, well, even if Naruto would rather _not_ talk about it, he should at least _try_. "It's- I was just feeling a bit of pain, that's all. From…from my arm. …you know."

Sasuke stared back at him, and then shifted even closer, curling against his side, resting his head on Naruto's chest. "Is it okay now?" he asked, looking up at Naruto's face.

"Yeah," Naruto said. Everything felt just fine now, especially with Sasuke there against him. Sasuke certainly wasn't a _cuddler_ , that was for sure. "It's just so…ridiculous. Silly."

"Mm," Sasuke said to that, with a small nod. "It's _all in your head_ , as they say. Like that helps when it hurts so much."

Naruto blinked. Oh…yes, that was _exactly_ what it was like. He understood. "Thank you, Sasuke,"

Sasuke shrugged. "You're welcome," he said. And then he frowned. "I don't see why you had to lose your arm as _well_. As if you don't have enough to deal with," he added with a growl.

Naruto couldn't agree with that more. "It's just the way it is," he said, repeating the words that both he and everyone else had said a million times already.

"The way it is _sucks_ ," Sasuke responded with a scowl.

Naruto grinned at that. Yeah, it did. It really, _really_ did.

"Tell me again how you tore up all the guys who did this," he asked, relaxing down on the pillows, shifting into a more comfortable position, getting ready for a nice bed-time story.

"Well," Sasuke said, "there you were, gushing blood everywhere- and listen, if you _ever_ do that again, _you're_ the one who's getting torn up- and then various other things happened-"

"No, no," Naruto interrupted. "I want to hear _all_ of it!" Sasuke always tried to skip certain parts of the story.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You know that Sakura's forbidden me from using my Susanoo for a _year_ ," he grumbled. "And any other higher jutsu as well. Apparently _my_ chakra pathways are a little fried too."

"Mm, yes," Naruto hummed happily. Yes, Sasuke got injured too, all while helping _him_. "Now. From the beginning!"

"You're such a _child_ ," Sasuke sulked. "I've told you all this a thousand times already."

"Just once more!" Naruto said. "And then I'll go to sleep. _Promise_." Really, he would, and he'd sleep well. Nothing made him feel better than knowing that those guys had got what was coming to them. Naruto didn't necessarily feel _good_ about feeling like that- he'd never been one for _revenge_ , not personally- but hey, his life was pretty sucky right now and yeah, it was nice to know that it was even _worse_ for _them_. At least Naruto was alive.

Sasuke sighed. "Fine," he said, slipping an arm over Naruto's body, pillowing his head on his chest. "Once upon a time, in a now non-existent forest near Konoha…"

Yes, he was alive; he had Sasuke, and he had a _plan_. As soon as he was stable he'd be out of here, and that was something to look forward to. He'd find Kurama and fulfil his promise to Sasuke of getting strong again. It wouldn't be easy, but he'd do it.

* * *

A few weeks later, Naruto was sitting in his chair staring out the window, sulking for all he was worth- and he was damn good at sulking. Sasuke was _leaving_ today, him and Juugo and Suigetsu. He didn't know why it had to be _today_ , but apparently it did, and besides Naruto wouldn't be ready to leave the hospital for another month at least.

…still.

"Don't see why you can't just stay here till I'm ready," Naruto muttered, listening to the sound of Sasuke shoving all his clothes in a bag. It was all being done in such a rush, he didn't get it at _all_.

Sasuke sighed. "Look, you know I can't tell you, it's-"

" _Classified_ ," Naruto interrupted. "Whatever…"

"You'll understand when you join us, okay?" Sasuke said, his voice pleading and placating. "And it will be just perfect for you, just what you need for your training."

Naruto growled under his breath. Who cared about _that_? Sasuke was _leaving_ , after having spent literally every second right by Naruto's side for _weeks_. No, it wasn't _fair_!

He heard Sasuke come up behind him and he tensed. Oh, see, Sasuke was gonna try and sweeten him up, get him to smile. Well, it wouldn't work!

Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto's shoulders, leaning down to nuzzle his ear. "Come on, Naruto," he breathed. "You can't be grumpy when we say goodbye, can you?"

"Can if I want to be," Naruto grumbled.

"Hmm," Sasuke murmured, his breath tickling the back of Naruto's neck. His hands slid down Naruto's front, toying with his clothes. He nestled closer to Naruto's collar, pressing kisses into his shoulder blade. "Fine, be grumpy, then. Doesn't change our deal."

The door opened abruptly behind them. "Sasuke," came Juugo's voice.

Naruto panicked. "No!" he exclaimed, jumping out of his chair and latching onto Sasuke. "I take it back, I won't be grumpy if you just stay a little longer-"

"I left something for you on the bed," Sasuke interrupted, shifting out of Naruto's grasp and taking his hand. "And as soon as Sakura says you're ready to leave, send me a message, okay?"

Naruto frowned. "But Sasuke…" He leaned forward, resting his cheek against Sasuke's. Things had been different. Things had _changed_. Without Sasuke here, how could Naruto possibly bear what had happened to him? What was _still_ happening to him?

"You'll be fine," Sasuke said firmly, giving him a soft, gentle kiss. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

Suigetsu came into the room behind Juugo, and Naruto stepped back. He really _was_ leaving.

"…okay," he said, in a low, sad little voice.

Sasuke nodded and smiled at him, giving him another quick kiss before picking up his bag and turning to go.

"And I'll write to you too," he promised, and then he was gone, just like that.

Naruto stood, staring at the door. He shivered; this was _wrong_. He shuffled over to his bed, wanting to snuggle back up in his sheets and enjoy them while they still smelled of Sasuke. No way was he letting the nurses change them. Yeah, okay, it was creepy, but Sasuke had been gone for less than a minute and Naruto already missed him like _crazy_.

 _Oh look, he forgot Mr. Roary_ , Naruto thought to himself, seeing the familiar little guy tucked up in the sheets. _That's sad._ But at least Naruto could cuddle with him now, and- _oh_. Well, Sasuke _did_ say he'd left something for him.

He smiled a little, just a bit, at that. And when he got closer, he saw something else as well. There, on the dinosaur's well-worn little arm, was a familiar piece of red ribbon.

 _Oh, Sasuke_ , he thought; where had he even gotten that from? Naruto had just assumed it was lost. Had Sasuke been keeping it this whole time? _And now he's left it for me_.

The door opened and Naruto whirled his head around. But it wasn't Sasuke.

"Aww," Sakura gushed, seeing Naruto standing there snuggling with the plushie dino. "You're such a cutie, Naruto!"

"I'm _not_ ," Naruto pouted, cuddling Mr. Roary closer.

"That's not up to _you_ to decide," Sakura exclaimed happily. She came over to Naruto's side and wrapped her arms around him. "And it's going to be okay, Naruto. You'll see."

Naruto leaned into her, horrified to feel tears welling up in his eyes. "Sakura-chan…" he whimpered.

"Just one more month. Well, maybe two. And then you'll be off!" she said.

Naruto sighed, not liking the way she slipped _two months_ in there so casually. Oh well. It's just the way things were. And he _would_ get out of here, and he and Sasuke would be together. … _together_. Him and Sasuke. Sasuke was _his_.

He grinned and stepped away from Sakura. Oh yes, things were pretty horrible right now, but they could certainly be worse. "Okay then, Mr. Roary," he said to the little toy in his arms. "Everything's gonna be fine!"

 _Fin._

* * *

A/N: *cries* So here we are guys. The epilogue will be out on Thursday, but basically we are DONE. I'm…actually in shock, I can't believe I've managed to finish something of this size, and it all makes sense (kind-of) and everything. (Wellll….there are things I would change. My next multi-chap will be better for it all, I think. I've learned so much from this fic, yayyy!)

While writing this fic I changed the ending so many times. First was the "happy" ending, where Sasuke left Konoha but he and Naruto were together, then the "sad" ending where Sasuke left Konoha but they broke up first, and then finally the neutral ending where Sasuke left Konoha and they were on like…a break, but still…kind-of together. Of course in NONE of these endings would Sasuke have actually stayed in town. I really felt like that was doomed from the start…

And then maybe around chapter 30 I realized there was no way that Naruto could stay in Konoha, either. Yes, Sasuke has developed a fair bit during this fic but I think Naruto has changed even more. I've always thought that Naruto couldn't become Hokage or be in a healthy relationship with Sasuke without a fair bit of personal growth. So…I did some things to him to encourage that personal growth. …*cries hysterically* ohhhh my poor baby! I'm so cruel…

(I mean really, at the start of this fic the only thing wrong with him- that he knew of- was that he didn't have Sasuke. And now he's lost his new arm AND Kyuubi, and he's regressed lower than a genin and might never recover. *cough* But um, at least he has Sasuke…?)

Thank you all so much for sticking with me during this fic and for all your lovely comments!


	44. Epilogue

**Epilogue (Sasuke's POV)**

A/N: This MIGHT be too mushy. Just a heads-up. Oh and a **mild NSFW warning** as well!

Also, I just wanted to mention that I've mostly been posting fics on my Ao3 account these days! I'd love to see y'll over there~~. My username is the same: shherie!

* * *

 _Three months later_

It was a very different Naruto Uzumaki whom Sakura had entrusted to Sasuke's care one month ago. Gone was the Naruto that everyone had known: the always-happy, unfailingly sun-shiny boy who smiled and laughed the whole day long. Naruto had changed. He was more sombre, and much more serious now.

It occurred to Sasuke that despite all Naruto had battled with in his life, he'd come through okay in the end, and kept his optimism as well. But _this_ time the enemy was only himself, and he carried that darkness around inside of him every day. He was dealing with the loss of his strength, his power. Who could possibly stay blindingly optimistic in the face of that?

…but he was still Naruto. He was _alive_ \- and that meant everything. He was quieter, yes, but hey, people changed. Sasuke had changed, too. So much so that sometimes he barely recognized himself.

Sasuke had once thought he'd be able to walk away from Naruto- just leave him behind in Konoha and never look back. Who was _really_ the idiot, then? It had taken just 30 seconds in the woods, Naruto's lifeless body hanging in front of him, to show Sasuke just how wrong he'd been.

Yes, he'd been an idiot, and he'd been punished for it; he would make up for it now. He'd spend every day making up for it, for as long as Naruto stayed with him.

* * *

Sasuke stood in front of the stove, flipping pancakes absent-mindedly on the grill while Juugo mixed some more batter. Even with Suigetsu away, their household of five went through a _lot_ of food, and it felt like they were always cooking. He made a mental note to arrange another shipment of supplies. Everything had to be ordered well in advance, and brought here by boat in secret.

"Let's put some chocolate chips in here," Juugo said, reaching into the cupboard; at the sound of his voice Sasuke snapped back to attention. "Naruto likes chocolate, doesn't he?"

"You're spoiling him," Sasuke commented, rolling his eyes. All Naruto had to do was flash his wounded baby-blue eyes at Juugo and he got whatever he wanted- seriously. "He's never been fed better in his _life_."

"He's too thin," Juugo said to that, pouring a generous amount of chocolate into the batter.

Well, that was true; Sasuke had been shocked to see Naruto again after two months. He'd lost so much weight, so much muscle. That had been happening for a while, but Sasuke just hadn't noticed back when he saw Naruto every day. Juugo was doing a good job of bulking him up again, but they had a long way to go.

"Are we ready to train, Sasuke-kun?" said a voice from behind him, and Sasuke turned to see Karin bringing Orochimaru into the kitchen.

"After breakfast," Sasuke said, turning away. Of course, he had to get Naruto out of bed first. Then breakfast, and _then_ training. Who knew how long _that_ would take. He sighed. "Come and take over, Karin," he said, passing her the pancake-flipper.

"Don't blame _me_ if they all get burnt," she muttered, staring down at the half-cooked pancakes in suspicion.

He made his way down to the tiny bedroom that Naruto shared with Juugo. Sasuke wouldn't let Naruto share with _him_ , and of course Naruto refused to share with Suigetsu, so it all worked out for everyone- without Juugo getting a say in the matter at all, as usual. Karin had her own room, and they'd placed Orochimaru as far away from everyone else as they could. Naruto couldn't stand the guy, and Sasuke had been genuinely shocked that he hadn't walked away the second he'd realised who was in this house.

Sasuke paused for a moment outside the door, gathering his energy before entering the lion's den. _Here we go._ He opened the door and went inside. "Naru-"

-a pillow was thrown at his head, just barely missing his face and hitting the door instead. Sasuke froze and stared at it as it slid down the door-frame and fell to the floor.

" _No_!" Naruto shrieked, shooting him a glare before pulling the blankets back over his head and disappearing.

Sasuke sighed. It would be one of _those_ days, apparently. "It's time to get up now," he said, deciding to ignore the pillow incident.

"Don't wanna!" Naruto said to that, his voice muffled by the blankets. "Why do I have to train with _him_?!"

…well. Of course Sasuke had _known_ that Naruto wouldn't be happy when he found out who was here with Sasuke. But the fact remained, it was Taka's mission to set Orochimaru up in a secure location away from Konoha, and he was actually a very useful person to have around for Naruto's training. If Naruto could just look at the situation logically, he'd see that; no-one knew more about chakra than Orochimaru.

Sasuke moved over to the bed and sat down, petting Naruto's head through the blankets. "Juugo made you pancakes," he said, changing the subject. "He even put chocolate chips in them. Just for you."

Naruto pushed back a corner of the blanket and peered out at him. "Really?" he said. "Chocolate?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yep. You can have as many as you like." It would take at _least_ that much to get him out of bed this morning, Sasuke could tell. Naruto wasn't like this _every_ morning, though he was never enthusiastic or energetic before his training. And his tantrum days weren't nearly as bad as his dark, despondent days. Sasuke could handle a tantrum- Naruto was _very_ easy to bribe.

Naruto seemed to consider this, but he soon buried himself back under the blankets. "But I bet I won't get them if I won't train!" he exclaimed.

Of _course_ he wouldn't, that was the whole point. To be fair, Orochimaru wasn't making things easy for Naruto. He set a hard pace and was a demanding trainer. And he and Karin were disturbingly good at inventing training exercises that required both him and Naruto to take off their shirts.

Well, whatever their methods, it was working; Naruto was making so much progress. Seeing him get stronger every day was doing a lot to ease Sasuke's anxiety. He was starting to believe that Naruto really _could_ recover completely. A few more months of this, and he might even be strong enough to accept the new arm Sakura was making him- if he was willing to.

"You're doing so well," Sasuke praised, pulling the blankets away and staring down at his sulking boyfriend. Sasuke had to stay firm, despite Naruto's pouting. "We'll just train for a while, and then you can come back to bed, okay?"

Naruto frowned. "Will you come with me?" he asked, reaching his arm out from under his blanket-fort and snaking it around Sasuke's waist, pulling him down to the mattress. "For a _nap_?"

"…maybe," Sasuke said to that, twisting out of Naruto's grasp and settling more comfortably by his side. "If you're a really good boy," he crooned. Sasuke would like nothing more than some alone-time with Naruto, but he had a job to do first.

Naruto smirked as Sasuke snuggled into his side. "I'll be good," he said. "I'll be really, _really_ good." He rolled over onto his side and placed a light, lingering kiss on Sasuke's nose. Sasuke accepted this without complaint.

"Hmm," Sasuke murmured. "You'd better not do any complaining while we train then. You might spoil the mood." He trailed his hand down the side of Naruto's face, down his jaw to his throat, slipping into his shirt and tugging on the chain around his neck. On the chain was a small but sturdy glass vial, with a tightly-coiled red ribbon set inside it.

Naruto pouted at him, even as he leaned forward into Sasuke's touch. "If we didn't have to train with _him_ , I might not complain as much," he said. Sasuke knew _that_ was a bold-faced lie. Naruto had become very adept at resisting _every_ kind of training, except for his sessions with Juugo.

So, Sasuke would have to pull out his trump card. He'd feared it would come to this. "We heard from Suigetsu this morning. He'll be back soon, and then we'll be able to-"

" _Leave_!" Naruto exclaimed, pushing up from the bed and grinning brightly. " _Yes_! Just us two, right Sasuke?! Just _us_?!"

Sasuke bit back a grin. _That_ was quite a reaction. It was rare to see Naruto grin like _that_ these days. "Yes," he said, sitting up as well. Once Suigetsu was back from his scouting mission it would be safe for them both to leave. They were going Kyuubi-hunting, and he'd promised Naruto a break from the crazily intensive training he'd been doing. To say that Naruto was _excited_ about this was an understatement.

"Why didn't you say so?" Naruto said, tucking his hand under Sasuke's chin and pulling him forward, kissing him again. "I'll train properly now, I promise!"

Sasuke let himself be kissed, pressing closer to Naruto and tangling his fingers through his mused-up blonde hair. Naruto hummed happily against him, biting softly on Sasuke's lower lip and sighing when Sasuke slipped his tongue into his mouth.

"Sasuke," he purred, "let's have a nap _now_ …"

…no, _someone_ had to be the responsible one here! Someone had to keep this guy on the right path, keep him motivated. He pulled away and out of Naruto's reach with a sigh. "Save that thought for later," he murmured, stepping off the bed and reaching down to take his hand. "Come on, breakfast is waiting."

Naruto pouted. "You're so _mean_ , Sasuke!" he whined, but he stood up and allowed Sasuke to lead him out of the bedroom.

* * *

Sasuke sat panting on the beach, properly exhausted after their morning training session. He exchanged a weary glance with Naruto as the two of them listened to their trainers argue.

"It's enough, Karin," Orochimaru shot at the red-head, turning away from Naruto and Sasuke. "His body needs to rest before we continue his training."

" _Rest_?" Karin exclaimed. "He sleeps every night, doesn't he? That's more than enough _rest_!"

"You're disagreeing with my methods?" Orochimaru said to that, sitting back further in his chair, giving her an amused look. "How interesting. I look forward to hearing your justifications."

"You'll hear my _justifications_ , all right!" Karin growled, her temper flaring, stepping closer to his chair.

"Uh, Sasuke," Naruto murmured, inching closer across the sand. "I'm gonna take a break from training no matter _what_ they decide," he said, shooting the quarrelling pair a dark look.

Sasuke smirked. "Do whatever you like," he said back, keeping his voice low- not that those two would hear him over the racket they were making. "Just don't tell _them_." Personally he'd be happier if Naruto continued his training while they were off on their kyuubi-hunting mission, but he couldn't control _everything_ that Naruto did.

"Ah, but I'll keep up my meditation though!" Naruto quickly added with an earnest look. "I promised Juugo, after all."

Yes, every evening like clockwork, Juugo had instructed. Naruto was getting along so much better with Sasuke's team now than he once had. He and Juugo were getting really quite close- though perhaps that wasn't surprising. But not even Suigetsu annoyed him as much anymore, and he and Karin had established a very strange, budding friendship. Well, once Sasuke had told him that she was an _Uzumaki._

…he still couldn't stand the sight of Orochimaru, though. _It'll take a while,_ Sasuke thought. No-one could blame him for _that_. Even Sasuke was thrilled to be getting away from him for a while.

"Let's sneak off while they're arguing," Sasuke said to Naruto, pushing himself up and then helping Naruto to his feet as well. "I need a shower. Badly." All this training on the beach- he was getting sand in places he hadn't known _existed_.

Naruto grinned. "Ah, I wasn't going to say anything, but…"

"Ha," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes. He was pleased to see Naruto in such a good mood, and wondered how long it would last.

Maybe heading out on their mission really would make a lasting difference. They'd be gone for at least a month searching for Kurama. Sasuke knew just how desperately Naruto wanted to find him, how much it occupied his thoughts. Naruto was convinced he'd been _hurt_ somehow, that he was hiding off in the wilderness somewhere licking his wounds, waiting for Naruto to find him.

Sasuke didn't know about that, but Naruto claimed the beast had been weakened somehow by that bite from the curse-seal man, just like Naruto had. It didn't seem possible- but then, an awful lot of things had happened in the past year that Sasuke would have labeled _not possible_. They would see, in any case. Sasuke was just as determined as Naruto to find him.

* * *

Sasuke had _missed_ him. Yes, he could admit it. During their two months apart Sasuke had spent a mortifying amount of time thinking about the blonde. He'd even written letters, every few days. He never thought he'd be the kind of person to do _that_.

Of course they fought a lot, now that they were back living together. Oh, they _screamed_ at each other sometimes. None of this was easy. _Talk to each other_ , Sakura had said to him so many times. _Tell him how you_ _ **feel**_ _!_ Like it was that simple. Sasuke knew that he was a closed person, the kind who never wanted to dwell on his past, on his _feelings_. But Naruto- Naruto was just as bad as him, _worse_ in some ways, and that had been a surprise.

It was easier to just _show_ each other how they felt. Sasuke had very deliberately assigned them separate bedrooms; he spent enough time wrapped around the blonde as it was. Well, why shouldn't he though? Naruto was _his_ now, all his, and Sasuke could kiss him whenever he damn well wanted. And if they still hadn't gone much further than that one night, so long ago in Sasuke's bedroom, well, they _were_ living with four other people after all. There was time.

Sasuke felt his face turning red at that particular memory, and tried to shake it off as they made their way inside from the beach. He pulled Naruto all the way into the bathroom and only then let go, locking the door behind them and turning on the shower. He quickly unfastened his pants and wriggled out of them, ignoring the look Naruto gave him as he did so. The guy was such a _voyeur_ sometimes!

"Okay sunshine," Sasuke chirped, testing the water and then turning to Naruto. "Let's get you undressed as well, hey?"

" _Sasuke_ ," Naruto whined as Sasuke turned him around and circled his arms around his waist. "I can undress _myself_ you know! I'm not some kind of useless invalid…"

"Is that so?" Sasuke purred into Naruto's ear, playing with the buttons on his pants until they came undone and fell to the floor. He nestled closer against Naruto's back and dropped a quick kiss to his shoulder. "Forgive me then, if I've ever made you think that you are…"

"Mm- _mmm_ ," Naruto murmured back, his complaint turning into a moan as Sasuke ran his hands down his chest and over the flat plane of his stomach, palming a hand over his hardening length just quickly before continuing down his thighs. " _Mm_ , Sasuke, I…"

"Oh, the shower's warm," Sasuke said, detaching himself and stepping into the shower, tugging on Naruto's wrist until the blonde followed after him. He sighed happily; the hot water felt _amazing_. "I'll miss having real showers when we leave," he commented, wrapping his arms back around his boyfriend, from in front this time.

"I'll _make_ you a shower," Naruto declared, nuzzling his nose against Sasuke's cheek, burying his face in his hair. "Oh, or, this one time we made our own hot-spring using this fire jutsu…"

"Mm, that sounds good," Sasuke said to that. He sighed again and moved closer, resting his head in the crook of Naruto's shoulder, closing his eyes. With Naruto's thinner frame they were almost evenly matched in size these days- though not for long, he suspected. But despite that, it still felt wonderful to be standing here like this, Naruto's arms- well, _arm_ \- circled around his waist, holding him tight.

"Everything okay?" Naruto asked, pressing his hand tighter into Sasuke's back, fingers splayed against his skin. "Sasuke?"

"Yeah," Sasuke said to that. "I was just wondering…have you forgiven me yet? For luring you here _under false pretences_ , as you put it?"

Naruto was silent for a moment, though he kept trailing his hand up and down Sasuke's back. "Of course I have," he finally said. "I still don't _get_ it, though. This- this weird thing between you and them. But I'm trying to understand."

"…thank you," Sasuke murmured, following some of the most valuable relationship advice he'd ever received. _Pleases and thank yous go a long way to avoiding arguments with your significant other._ It had been _Kakashi_ who'd told him that, much to his disbelief, and very much against his will at the time. It had proved useful, though. (His tips on _roleplaying for couples_ had been less useful.)

"Hmm, well," Naruto murmured back. And then he started giggling, right out of the blue, a light, happy sound that sent little vibrations all through Sasuke's body.

Sasuke pulled away from Naruto's shoulder and stared at him in amazement. "Naruto, what on _earth-_ " he exclaimed.

"Ah, it's nothing!" Naruto said, "it's just that, you know, I thought I was getting away from them when I left Konoha- Sakura and Tsunade-baa-chan. But now I think that Karin and Orochimaru might be _worse_!"

Sasuke snorted at that. Naruto might have a fair point there, but really- nothing could _possibly_ be worse than the nightmare duo of Sakura and Tsunade. "Don't be ridiculous," Sasuke said, leaning forward and kissing him softly. "They're not _that_ bad."

"I'm still looking forward to a break from them," Naruto declared with a pouty from. No matter- Sasuke would soon wipe the pout off his face. "How long till the hot water runs out, do you think?"

"Just enough time, I would say," Sasuke said, bringing a hand to Naruto's cheek, trailing it down to his jawline, pressing his thumb into Naruto's bottom lip.

"Good," Naruto cooed, pulling Sasuke towards him and pressing a light kiss to his nose.

Oh no, _that_ wouldn't do. Sasuke tangled his hands in Naruto's hair, angled his face down, and kissed him properly. He bit down on Naruto's bottom lip and groaned when the blonde ground his hips against him in response, pressing his now-hard length right against Sasuke's. " _Mm_ , Naruto…" Sasuke breathed softly, sparks rushing through him, heat flaring between them at once.

Naruto ran his hand right down Sasuke's back and behind his thighs. Sasuke gasped, parting his lips, and Naruto deepened their kiss right away, slipping his tongue into Sasuke's mouth and purring happily.

"Don't think this is gonna get us _clean_ , Sasuke," Naruto panted when Sasuke pulled away from him to lean back against the shower wall.

"Why not?" Sasuke said to that, teasing, and pulling Naruto forward to his chest until they were back in full contact again. "I don't know what _you_ think is going to happen here, but _I'm_ just showering, I'll have you know…"

Naruto laughed at that. "Well, fine," he said, tugging his hand out of Sasuke's and bringing it down between their bodies instead. "Let's see what a Sasuke-version of _showering_ is..."

Sasuke laughed back and brought his own hands down to Naruto's waist, pressing into his skin. He drew in a sudden, harsh breath when Naruto rolled his hips forward abruptly, and started rocking slowly against him.

" _Naruto_ …" Sasuke panted, breathing heavily now and moving back, almost subconsciously. "Mm, _god_ …" he moaned, when Naruto's hand circled around both their lengths and ran up and down- softly as first, but then harder and faster.

Naruto trailed kisses down Sasuke's neck, biting into his throat as he increased his pace, making soft, desperate whining noises against his skin. "So _good_ , Sasuke…mm, _yes_ ," he added, when Sasuke pressed his hands harder into Naruto's back, trailing his fingernails down his spine.

Yes, oh, it _was_ good. Sasuke could get used to this. Maybe having a boyfriend wasn't so bad after all. He giggled at that thought and Naruto grinned at him, pecking the tip of his nose.

It was all still new, this connection between them. And frightening, yes, of course- but Sasuke had already been through the worst. He knew as time when on they'd keep fighting a lot, and Naruto would get on his nerves as much as he ever had. No, it would _never_ be smooth sailing between them- but, well, maybe that was okay, and-

"Ohhh, Naruto, _yes_ , yes-" he cried, biting down on his lip to keep from shrieking as pure white heat ripped through his body. All his muscles tensed at once and he came hard, clinging to Naruto's chest, wrapping his arms tight around the blonde's shoulders. " _Mmm_ …!"

The world around him blurred and he whimpered in pleasure, breathing hard; and when everything stopped spinning he found Naruto panting against him, resting down on his shoulder, nipping into his skin. "Sasuke…" Naruto gasped, breathless, "that was really, _really_ nice…"

The shower was running cold now but neither of them moved. Sasuke didn't care; it felt _blissful_ against their heated skin. He just tugged his hands through Naruto's damp hair, drew his fingers down to the back of his shoulders, still clinging to him and purring in contentment when Naruto kissed him softly.

"Time for a _nap_ , then?" Sasuke breathed, nuzzling against him.

Naruto grinned at that, and nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yes!" he said. "A _nap_ , and then an _actual_ nap, okay Sasuke?"

Sasuke scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, dead-last," he said. Anything to keep him smiling; to keep his bright blue eyes lit up like that.

And sure, Sasuke had never planned on any of this happening; hadn't planned on his life revolving around this blonde moron so completely. If someone had told him a year ago what was coming, he probably wouldn't _ever_ have returned to Konoha. Sasuke Uchiha with a _boyfriend_? Cuddling in the shower with _Naruto?_ It was _laughable_.

…well, worse things had happened. Sasuke still didn't know what would happen in the future, but at least he could _see_ one now. As long as he had Naruto, Sasuke had somewhere he belonged.

 _Fin._

* * *

A/N: …my GOD that was mushy….*glares at fic*. It was an accident, I swear! Ahhh but, I did want to give our boys a happy ending, considering all they've been though.

I don't think they've got an easy road ahead of them. They both have so many demons to face, as well as Naruto's recovery. They'll almost certainly start taking out their pain on each other at some stage. But at least by the end of this fic, they'd acknowledged SOME of those issues. They'll be just fine in the end, *hopeful smile*.

I want to take this chance to thank my wonderful commenters one last time! This fic is three times longer than anything I've ever written, and that is 120% thanks to everyone's kind words and continued support. I cherish each and every one of you! Even one-sentence comments have given me the energy I needed to finish this fic!

As for a sequel or two, well yes, perhaps, one day! Shorter in length than this one, I think *exhausted sigh*. I'm currently working on a completely unrelated NaruSasu multi-chapter which will occupy most of my time now that I'm done with LotRoL.

If you'd like to keep up with my new works, please feel free to subscribe to me here or come and find me on tumblr (username: shherie)!

And if you have any questions about this fic or what happens to our boys next, I'll happily answer them in the comments! THANK YOU everyone for reading this!


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